Heaven

khfacdgku

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.

$ V0 ]% r$ N+ Z4 i 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
0 ?% M, J* S' ?7 K 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
3 V( }- \+ E# s But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
, m* C+ g" @5 S1 e- t: ~# P' G/ O Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
  j, z" i0 r7 H; F1 C/ ^6 H Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
+ S* W, m$ M# e: {# N. N; E3 q
The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
& N6 |: j+ V# t' E5 C Moving far beyond itself.
: n5 F8 w! @/ [; L5 X Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
3 ?' ~6 k- w6 q$ j- g, }$ w By unleashing its unimagined power?
' |/ {/ U5 D5 O  m9 O: k0 d3 ` Into a dueling force of action and reaction
, z# V- s; c; {" I- Q Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

: o# a/ J( ^" c/ [0 W' M Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
7 x# t* d; _! [4 R) T' V Can never be measured in isolation
; i* U  z8 }) `9 n: x on a path into ourselves.
* v/ n0 ~0 U# y
+ q$ Q6 q: e) \$ R0 g  T It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
" v4 n3 J9 I# m Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
4 |9 C- }0 f& Z$ P& V# d2 g6 V) W But because of actions.
8 l* d8 R. ?9 g8 S  n6 C
Our life's prayers our answered
/ X% ?. u- M& i; J, ~ Because even the smallest pebble
! \2 \& N, W! {. B9 u# h No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
6 l; d3 e" o, H
And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
# x# U  E) }+ R% u4 Z We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
9 b- i) u- l7 a, J3 m1 B because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

% T; Q' o+ b6 j' e3 k9 n- s Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03