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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& c+ M+ K; \# p$ m 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
* C6 n$ Q6 F5 ?9 |" R$ M* T5 o The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
7 L4 T) b- l0 o) A  b/ u A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
# S  \# O/ m% A8 |# {& T  C0 p4 I But just a very small stone.
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) u  Y9 @# b3 f$ D) n, J! P$ @3 t The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
& x+ Z  m  e; T9 {/ h9 N But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
8 Y. _+ [# b% G8 @$ ? Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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/ u% o! A& b- o- k5 g The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
& }; ]5 v! o; O8 } Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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/ R. U# h2 E& r8 }4 r The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
& J; W- W1 a) d9 L6 p& A Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
4 T1 L0 z1 s) c# h# d. e( N
Aren't we all pebbles?
1 D. a: T( f+ I Feeling small and insignificant
, ]+ v! H# p7 y7 j( R; A2 G  E But ultimately recognizing
% ?0 {' [- i  y% i That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

) i- W! G) ~/ Q; y) l8 \3 M It is true then:
' f" a" `. x6 u1 l9 W Our everlasting future
) _( i( x4 o# Z' T Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
  J! Y) Z% T3 `# Q( \' Q Into the pond of life
- B. z1 R- S  `3 { Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
  W/ u: f% T1 N2 ]) J. p4 \ not because of well meaning plans
+ S4 l6 `& e, E9 ?: P But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
' t  A0 X/ f) ~- s+ N7 N No matter how seemingly insignificant
6 h' x* I1 ?# p+ N; P. t Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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' a9 ?/ p4 P' G- R5 X9 ^ And when the icy winds of death
" _) {1 J4 `* z# {- |! l: c9 R beckon our lasting attention
) V- P8 k0 D! X1 h: F' W/ O We will gently leave this life
6 C: }/ \1 b8 o/ A) ]5 O5 w- I With the knowledge that
. T' b9 H) D. }5 ~2 _, N. K% c: h, J because of that one pebble
9 r& o1 G  O% W6 G" U# u) `+ Y' ? The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03