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
/ `! J+ w3 @9 E. h2 r- _ 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.
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0 p. A4 N0 [  |( A+ d- c" N The pebble's place in our world
' i1 T7 @; _5 a# V Is neither understood nor appreciated
1 w: u" Y+ u" P& _2 Q1 A+ U, l* V/ ` But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
' O" P* a4 `% u3 K Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
' ^' W+ B- ?' G5 b Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
6 L& g* R3 C% B6 J) H5 [* n. T3 a Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

% Q- N2 B* V6 e! h" H4 _ The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
/ m- X, e  e" w& q, F. v  D Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
" B' M7 y6 l0 [. F+ H Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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+ o' a6 i6 K6 T$ n. H Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
/ s4 o0 a! U+ q  G1 B  ~1 H But ultimately recognizing
) G- n# j# v( X5 m. a) d That who we are meant to be
  f8 r5 H! A: U2 t! C: c/ k Can never be measured in isolation
- r% g: D4 A0 Q- h on a path into ourselves.
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; ?& u$ K3 z' ?& [# |: ` It is true then:
3 D' s& g- p; G5 s$ n5 r: h Our everlasting future
) ~" \1 q- s1 G/ J  w0 Y9 P Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
* y$ K/ L1 T9 O$ G' i Into the pond of life
6 ~/ g, e, z( ]# T Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
/ T3 o( ?7 L( e* H9 a8 Y$ B But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
5 Y; c7 e. Z% l: S5 {' o Because even the smallest pebble
4 m3 q( b4 }9 { No matter how seemingly insignificant
9 |7 s: Z- {0 b0 ?1 Y 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
9 H0 e' F  o0 ?6 R2 A7 T. y We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
( l6 \" `- Q! I/ R. u" ` The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …
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/ I' Z# r$ C) w8 h9 H Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03