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.

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
+ y- d" {0 c7 `  g( q A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
& }3 ]" J. _, Y An accidental offspring of a boulder
, o7 P1 T* g1 ~7 @5 D0 I4 l But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
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
Spiral outwards
& Z7 W/ u# c/ o% F& c* M. w* h Moving far beyond itself.
8 k& h5 x7 \5 A: p" I Gently affecting everything in its wake
* C2 _) D3 r! {0 z5 u" |- Z Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
2 N1 \" S4 m8 S0 o. \, Y+ L7 K By unleashing its unimagined power?
  @2 C2 U6 V8 I+ T( E/ P9 h Into a dueling force of action and reaction
9 _7 O7 A1 [3 E* O1 x Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

5 x  P8 \7 |. t It is true then:
6 o" w4 f+ W9 a+ u Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
3 C+ e4 \: f9 a& N Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
1 Z* m4 \+ h3 k4 o* [' T not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
# Q7 n* ^! C  T Because even the smallest pebble
* P6 r; b" l7 o  h No matter how seemingly insignificant
. ]8 f7 i! j6 x! @2 L/ l" |* b- P Changes the course of the lives
3 _* y5 }  |2 _$ y* r) q6 h" ~ Of those we touch.?
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" k: o* N* B4 ?' n, Z/ ?8 t And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
; ]% u) _$ x' k. r- M3 v& x3 ~1 ]# z We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
2 {. d* T9 R" w$ g because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03