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.
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% ]8 m* L, T# y4 @' P6 g) U 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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7 F2 W. y+ H! ?" P Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
, ]3 J0 j3 ^4 E$ j% `* y But just a very small stone.

% D& v2 b- \. [. \. i The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
  x# h$ s# a! v' L9 x Its insignificance is transformed
# o$ Z5 H, E* Y( j" L1 a Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
! F1 a4 X+ W: w3 H: Q$ U% J. | Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
9 o) e5 T6 h# l7 e/ T5 K0 _ By unleashing its unimagined power?
9 b& ~/ f0 ~/ A' {9 E- \ Into a dueling force of action and reaction
4 Q4 c5 n/ n* R# ]% v7 e Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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9 a+ k9 p3 v( ] Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
; U. q8 x/ G% B) \; J0 | That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
# n( L( ~) B8 j* M Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
$ ]9 W; c, ^0 w6 K6 P6 k that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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4 \& v5 g3 C6 A8 W0 V0 v  ~ Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
# d; U, b% m3 f No matter how seemingly insignificant
) `7 m% o0 D2 A% z; }9 j6 d$ { Changes the course of the lives
  [. D9 N4 j4 H0 N! l Of those we touch.?
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! d, O$ X6 H% d And when the icy winds of death
, C0 T9 u2 r- Q8 {" e beckon our lasting attention
- m# c, ~' z" t# y  q We will gently leave this life
7 P2 h$ f: j  j2 h2 @, B, P- W5 G With the knowledge that
# d* `+ I5 V8 J0 F0 c% C* P because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
4 |) G  T  J1 | 8/18/03