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.

, o/ L, W% B* i7 z# e* N 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.

5 Z! ?0 b. ?7 q# a Heaven
" W/ ^5 _) j7 B& H- T% F; y  N8 O The pebble is worn smooth
6 p# M) W, ~0 K, B" k' X Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
9 G2 A3 E# n1 _. i An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
# f4 v4 }& l; ~' J
The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
- t" ^5 e  U& ^  y* L Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
: G- f2 l+ A; R! c
The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
( N" P# I3 _4 m+ Z# K9 g. X Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
7 T  l. a7 ?+ [% f Gently affecting everything in its wake
3 `: ?. i2 `7 E Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
$ n# H$ p  U4 S0 W* n
! N# a3 {- z. H& S8 Z$ b The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
3 e6 z( J2 Z4 ]# k- f) k+ |
4 i9 E/ j9 |8 F: A Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
  s& D2 G% C4 a7 l$ F Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

2 u2 `/ ^' W, {# e7 I# s It is true then:
3 t3 S3 h* n4 _+ Y Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
3 s: z  _3 ^6 n" p6 c Creating ripples
$ h" k: H7 m6 L4 u/ H that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
! R2 ?: u8 ^8 Z& V* B; Q: W- B not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
' S+ U- M1 D( r5 V, ^3 s' H
Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
) ?; y; G% M) p4 h% [8 I# o Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
: L/ ]+ [& Z( O6 u& z2 [  K
& q4 A8 f* x% s3 @0 y And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
( Z2 G5 V! [3 `$ S/ s4 _3 [1 y0 N  e With the knowledge that
7 d3 S) f( G% k, t3 V: }1 A* m because of that one pebble
2 G, Y+ f5 n8 b* ]: ]. } The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
7 \. `- R% q  @' \' ]  K 8/18/03