Heaven

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Seven years ago I was asked by a friend if I was "religious and if I believed in God?" As a (formerly) practicing agnostic I quickly answered:"no." However, I defended myself by explaining that I lived my life according to universal principals of "right and wrong" (as I understood them). Because I believed that our deeds create a lasting effect on the world, I felt confident in my everlasting future. In other words, I wasn't worried about there being a heaven or not. I told my friend that when I die, I am banking on knowing that my impact on the world will be ever lasting. My "heaven" will ultimately be the creation of the the sum total of all my actions.

, |% g' l' i. d- Z" W/ M/ Q& r5 d' [ I will never forget my friend's response: he looked at me with glassy eyes, and told me how deeply spiritual I was. I didn't see it. It took five more years to see what he meant. Such was the inspiration of the following poem I wrote.
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Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
0 s$ ^1 w( d( r A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
( M: [7 x2 Y, T' m+ w A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
' z  _/ N2 k% P But just a very small stone.
6 C; i; M& U3 b$ Z6 G( [7 L3 m& {
The pebble's place in our world
9 y( M! I8 }* ]+ I  V: v# Z! d# o Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
% Y% x$ g2 d  C, n Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
9 X. Z6 u2 A/ E8 v! I Spiral outwards
" F; H. [: M; B# a- w Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
' a- u4 @9 p# o Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
4 l* v& r( M1 h- V Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
$ A, G3 z% X4 k7 y That who we are meant to be
, C7 a$ k% k( U' J Can never be measured in isolation
$ A  T7 i5 A7 J2 n6 \: Z3 J on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
# g& O/ H. b8 o7 v Our everlasting future
, r) Y0 \7 I+ W8 [0 E8 K  Z# F% S Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
6 T0 {( t% V" Q5 Z that leave unique mark on our world
7 w- w2 ^* ^( {# m8 `7 t9 Y Not because of thoughts
( `8 `9 y; t3 I$ q not because of well meaning plans
$ b- C$ Y5 y  v# w/ X But because of actions.

0 e8 `2 p7 ~% V0 V/ R9 @# m Our life's prayers our answered
& d( Z% Z9 t0 b' e. q# y& X/ C Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
6 \. O9 H; D- X0 ?+ ] Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
& Z4 H% y. O* q7 A% U# E We will gently leave this life
/ R$ X9 }  B! p, } With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
. r' s. d- R1 A The world will never be the same.

) p0 P$ e( i: y! t! c$ e0 g And then we have heaven …
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9 c5 E7 ?. [# l) e, e- Q Ross Rosenberg
# B6 n. t" r+ p. X" n* j 8/18/03