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.

) Q8 y# }5 q  Y' j0 K 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
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
% _& C; R# {3 V3 K& A1 H( t) n An accidental offspring of a boulder
, o8 E" F/ u5 A$ d But just a very small stone.
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# ]) C% I7 I, C* ` The pebble's place in our world
% M* y4 }7 N; i Is neither understood nor appreciated
+ b& U$ F3 a9 L& b* T But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
8 Q; h! C8 N+ y0 ? Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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( |/ g' Z; s5 q% [. u The instant the pebble kisses the pond
) W* d6 K3 N, P6 _/ K7 m Its signature of concentric ripples
7 S% Z) v* t3 }# H3 ]7 ^ Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
1 u" C4 ^8 e. }  W$ i Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

: F- e: B' e# w) ` The pebble creates its worth and meaning
0 a7 h0 p* z$ ~1 p" L By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
% X# ]# x7 `5 t% f4 q! ? Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
& t3 F: E& ~' u) `2 @  ] Feeling small and insignificant
- E# s+ r- x# K7 r/ l But ultimately recognizing
1 j$ Q0 j( ]/ D1 p! I" a4 q& L That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

( e6 y3 s( m+ `- M It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
0 K" I5 B# V7 w+ O Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
' M8 h+ U' G3 Q& o 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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" R/ s5 o% y( S. W( O6 m' j1 x Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
& U: ]7 S, W: O, E( i9 J( E No matter how seemingly insignificant
# Y: t& o3 ~# `$ w4 | Changes the course of the lives
- c) _7 Z2 {0 i Of those we touch.?
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7 y) L, y, R9 E8 L And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
4 H' h6 I3 A# I5 I0 S9 R because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

0 w) [& b: o) `- A And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03