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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Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
3 m4 Y+ _. X6 @" D4 Z Made small over time
8 j8 I$ b; V. e A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
' ]  o2 n, @2 Z7 D! u1 {+ ^ But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
6 K  v" l9 d/ Z! o) W" E6 u But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
* ]! U1 h; u+ }% @# U2 o Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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7 V  k# y3 z8 u! G5 E& U0 u9 K The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
- H: N" E/ ^' m0 H1 b5 g8 Y' d) O Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
/ Q$ x. w' `5 ?! e5 k- N1 b6 I Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
9 q$ {! |- X" V; H& |3 D Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
6 I$ [( @  _6 W8 M9 _ That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
# `3 l' ]+ u! o4 O( P$ P" Z7 I Our everlasting future
2 I$ T  j. ~7 U2 K7 @$ o- M Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
& g; D8 y2 ?7 |; M8 F: g( A Not because of thoughts
0 q' \+ z1 d1 q7 Y: m# Z& \2 z2 l not because of well meaning plans
( l1 U  ^9 Y$ Y( `; |! \" v0 Y But because of actions.

4 \1 i5 |% W0 ?1 T4 b Our life's prayers our answered
. c  C) g: Z1 q. q Because even the smallest pebble
6 ]/ [. l" \# U& C2 l No matter how seemingly insignificant
2 w0 }$ n5 L( {, A; d9 X4 T3 t Changes the course of the lives
* z- |/ z8 ?: @* l9 N# z Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
* c$ A  W, |8 ?3 R9 G& C7 V beckon our lasting attention
) F3 n" M$ Q! B) s7 \ We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
1 C) l9 I$ G  O" S because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …

5 g- U) E( ~- }1 a; `* Y8 | Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03