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
: O/ N' G$ s. q: { The pebble is worn smooth
5 A0 ?0 L4 @( b9 w Made small over time
8 N) A! @0 D4 d- K 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
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
5 w& B$ d, M6 Y Its insignificance is transformed
( B, j3 ~6 A6 g4 T Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
% s& n7 Q4 k& f- i# \  r Spiral outwards
" d9 U' z4 R3 T- k0 H Moving far beyond itself.
2 N: z5 Q" J0 O7 \ Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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  B  _3 `- j; Q: P: K" z, m The pebble creates its worth and meaning
* B) O: T- ?4 w' z By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
. |" m: B3 Q" B5 r( B, E Creating karmic energy
8 r! |) p! ~$ ?; J0 h  X* _8 } Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

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.
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It is true then:
) U" L' p5 q) G8 [" S/ K+ N Our everlasting future
. p0 K6 Q) H% }  T; @# p Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
$ u4 u+ U9 D( {1 y1 I8 m Into the pond of life
- F+ |  H5 v' C/ U Creating ripples
1 s; s0 z* O: c: D! O" y that leave unique mark on our world
: ~8 r" ]* T0 }. P. y# V Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
3 j/ O5 R3 {+ d8 v  _ But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
' L( N, S( Y9 u  E+ d4 l No matter how seemingly insignificant
' U% Q: w% E  c! R$ u& o7 K8 v8 Y Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
* Q; i, i0 K" r; J- ~; Q4 o9 k) s beckon our lasting attention
  c! u9 w5 j; E7 g: e; j We will gently leave this life
. n3 u* Y: Y5 V' @& l With the knowledge that
1 c" ~; k$ g* ?0 w because of that one pebble
1 g* g/ E- S+ Z- w. n  ^! e( r; x The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …
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: n7 v/ B6 d4 s! P- {+ q Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03