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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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.

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
But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
- ^3 g1 u+ y" r0 @) } But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
8 ~0 F8 P8 M( E; Y4 f: Q6 R7 Z5 x2 o
2 X9 }* d" W" \' r5 L' L+ F( @5 v The instant the pebble kisses the pond
# E5 `; U0 S  n( j% Y( z  |# ?' V Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
# }3 f$ e4 Q: q: b3 y3 y5 Z Moving far beyond itself.
$ m# C: J$ L* ]: ?. W Gently affecting everything in its wake
: C1 l" ~7 I& ?0 J5 {: i Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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: R  T5 p- _8 Q; Q* H9 J1 l. s The pebble creates its worth and meaning
: v* x) }+ @& f% N8 `+ k: a By unleashing its unimagined power?
+ F, l. F" @, ?1 M" X8 M& H Into a dueling force of action and reaction
+ _: V* T5 T0 a6 f Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
; v/ L4 B+ l8 W# H5 d Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
$ ]' Y, F) \  s$ }& {! q7 A" r Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
Our everlasting future
1 \4 ^1 I8 p* C4 O Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
& E+ E2 ~% {6 L  x3 t/ K Creating ripples
0 |8 G+ j4 I1 V; E' C9 ] that leave unique mark on our world
9 {, R5 e. ?+ w" M3 l; x Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
3 R, N/ B* x) n# d Because even the smallest pebble
. _; e/ Y6 H4 W3 {* s) N, W$ i No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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7 j0 Q+ `; X1 n7 i% S And when the icy winds of death
! M- Z$ D* t/ z7 O- b) w8 x8 y- n beckon our lasting attention
( Q, m' }+ p/ P; V We will gently leave this life
5 e5 ]5 G. }" Z0 m- L4 M- | With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03