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.
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9 Y/ q# \/ N* Y3 h; u! D Heaven
1 e1 V# T. P. C5 D( i: \; p, I& P  i The pebble is worn smooth
1 o$ y+ a. ^9 m7 q Made small over time
) ?6 U" Z8 u+ O- A9 C0 F A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
$ b' X/ g3 {# N; V, z An accidental offspring of a boulder
  e; ^5 J6 |: y; a) m6 A( w3 \  w- u, _ 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
7 u$ g9 M# j, y+ R; i$ N Its insignificance is transformed
! _1 T& B- p+ Q/ D Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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/ u8 k: R% ^( T2 M6 z6 y  J The instant the pebble kisses the pond
  A6 i9 Y: D* c) X/ I% ? Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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% N, o# E* M* @' |8 T! k4 V, D% q The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
& S& s1 l4 Q" A( H# n Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
. T. F- P3 i; V0 r 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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  m3 V0 d# H5 O0 f It is true then:
% X+ i2 f. [* r/ b* t Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
1 F1 C6 R' n) r% L Creating ripples
0 f; e1 p$ |) J" M6 e' ~9 k1 A! D7 ] that leave unique mark on our world
6 T- d; H  Z. j$ Y# j( \% t Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
6 n2 B  l9 K2 g No matter how seemingly insignificant
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
# j7 U, j, O6 Y7 L7 b0 M We will gently leave this life
8 ~! t/ ?/ I6 x8 p" \- n4 r With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03