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
Made small over time
: b! _1 g3 _* k! ? A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
1 D  f& Y, `# Y1 h" C; C+ z% V A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
  g2 H& }, H, [* r* n But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
0 ?- ^8 g+ x1 x6 a( |, n Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
5 x+ |* N5 ~9 |1 Y. A Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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* O7 P+ _3 H: N4 M1 D' Z The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
& B# A9 e/ l9 _( S Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
; l5 k  n* V1 G* p' x( n But ultimately recognizing
; S8 E; Q' s3 w2 g That who we are meant to be
( o3 Q; L* l7 b& g Can never be measured in isolation
/ m9 g  d" @0 ]$ [ on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
Our everlasting future
/ K' ~2 |5 b* e2 u! x: ]& u% b Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
2 Z3 c$ O' i0 \+ Q' u Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
4 K  Z' D0 i. z not because of well meaning plans
/ y0 W( {, o- I' s- c+ Z3 \# T But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
3 u  {2 d# m3 ]% w# w7 r Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
" _2 z2 y  r. i: I5 { Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

7 r0 V( _8 P; u7 b0 H! ` And when the icy winds of death
$ B- \8 V- B8 b) K beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
) c) ^1 G3 J7 E8 k) P9 A With the knowledge that
- h: p: r: w) U! n0 P" o0 J because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

/ n' `) ~% o2 C And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
4 u% N$ p1 z$ e/ D+ X* U 8/18/03