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
The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
* ?  r7 |: e" h+ W" ]4 @ But just a very small stone.
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% E& m# J! h7 G0 h( X The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
1 N/ U2 j2 x: |& T- ?+ T; U But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
: m: {3 y' N- }- W+ L Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
4 }! U3 L$ h8 \( ~+ x1 A Its signature of concentric ripples
; F% d4 u9 s5 S, m" P Spiral outwards
, J: T& ?% ]$ E! t7 T Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
1 X" O6 _1 j9 E5 i3 \ Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

. \2 n& ]. q' {8 l* o0 a The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
8 f- f1 n( T% a! H1 y Into a dueling force of action and reaction
, o& J: g  c: H$ S) P/ X( q0 g Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
2 H' e, T  C3 ^8 \# B Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
0 r5 P0 `" l, l( H' ]1 W* T Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
' J/ g' b7 j& |5 A, b$ Z4 r Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
9 E- |3 |+ i) B( @4 C6 R& a2 T Creating ripples
% }2 @! H. M5 c8 T5 v that leave unique mark on our world
4 h$ t4 O- e, R$ J& c Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
8 i5 D- V8 o$ F; y; A But because of actions.
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: }8 x; A3 U' u- R7 j* j Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
- _) N, D8 v3 @$ I4 h2 x No matter how seemingly insignificant
( ?9 |. ]! {/ g; E' S" i6 k2 J6 x Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
  M- k! w6 t2 x- y" _8 L beckon our lasting attention
# V$ ]% _5 v; T: H5 _8 C We will gently leave this life
) M6 \/ Q9 V9 A  a% b* q With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03