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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3 S8 L1 c# K! ]! m2 u, a( K. @ 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
8 _" B+ n2 C; b6 @ A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
$ `, D5 ]$ f; O- `% T4 n0 x But just a very small stone.
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0 M9 Z  v) `* t* _, I7 [" } The pebble's place in our world
- B1 ]. k" b" R& F: h4 x- W( Z1 o8 @- I Is neither understood nor appreciated
1 N3 _% a, f) @" f# a/ @5 e- n But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
9 N: }7 c5 q. D5 F Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

1 ?0 M$ @! d# J& m& c7 ?5 v7 ?: D' a The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
4 z. z$ l7 P, U8 I3 D5 D Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

1 `9 n4 f( ~2 r' f The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
+ e# B5 Y! r6 F/ G( F7 z& g8 @ Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
# g- m2 o* E, d9 ?7 z* p& o Feeling small and insignificant
: Y, W$ y9 |4 T" ]# i9 N/ { But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
' E" o$ W! b8 o, ^ on a path into ourselves.

% Y4 K3 D2 A4 M, o! G# o) s6 k It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
+ f/ h: N: o# c( T# p, j) _ Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
$ W7 F: l; O& |# g2 O that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
0 R7 ^5 _3 w- `& V
Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
2 F5 K$ C% l; x' U No matter how seemingly insignificant
) K* x2 I& [* U( f3 Q4 f* U Changes the course of the lives
/ j. j2 L+ L9 O. ^3 l5 v2 M Of those we touch.?
5 @( ^& c# T7 T( _9 ~0 ?+ x
$ g  A: t9 M+ c3 Q. c5 ` And when the icy winds of death
( z2 n8 l2 o! `- r$ I) s beckon our lasting attention
" R, w* D# Q9 ^$ [ We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
; j# E: P: `) l7 {, b7 B because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

' [* Z. p' X# m And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8 x4 v+ X3 u7 } 8/18/03