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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# |" G  ^: q9 R! ]. {7 I$ r Heaven
, i; x0 n# ~9 H- F# i1 p& T% @9 O' N The pebble is worn smooth
2 `6 z' H- T1 h5 U Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
6 _0 J0 Y* B* X. o" Q4 q' y An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

! C/ o; m. O( u" h  ~ The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
4 @" v/ T; F& Z" K, w% y; ? But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
9 g' o' g$ ~2 c- X3 q' X$ a/ V Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
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?
9 z9 [/ O( c. l' U Into a dueling force of action and reaction
; v0 i/ ~' B9 ^: k: ^8 e Creating karmic energy
" D5 G+ d1 o/ l- V Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

2 l# T! j3 \* Q# ?: Q0 ?: { Aren't we all pebbles?
: V! K( q& d8 K  m) Y* M2 N& g$ Q Feeling small and insignificant
2 w; U# T( L0 m* b4 T But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
# c- ~6 Q8 ?" v; ?" n on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
Our everlasting future
. w  }( C% R3 K2 W3 s/ ~ Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
& I  ]3 S. o' e1 i Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
* U) M5 W  |& {& X; }$ M that leave unique mark on our world
; _: T" ^# |/ T9 t, v  m Not because of thoughts
2 S% P9 v; @! `5 A/ K7 v5 e% | not because of well meaning plans
( d6 u( o- v+ n# z3 X7 v But because of actions.

& x  Y1 T5 p6 t8 O/ s1 R* i Our life's prayers our answered
. k7 ]5 Y6 E1 Q) C% E; |5 B8 O Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
! t- r4 O) o/ {7 @5 b# X. Y$ O4 _ Changes the course of the lives
' _& p$ Q! S3 X& x' J Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
7 h/ W7 ]1 z* B6 _" _% B With the knowledge that
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The world will never be the same.

! P# t' Y+ N: q) {. p! R And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
: ]. j: ^, R8 }, R$ E8 q6 m: n 8/18/03