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.

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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, x1 w2 Z) |+ r9 u7 |! a. M+ w Heaven
4 o; J! ]5 z$ B4 s The pebble is worn smooth
6 v  p1 H! l7 b* s8 E: t Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
1 V+ U# ?9 s" ?9 M; q' K
The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
3 m8 V: z9 ?! N: q; q But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
+ r, @; K* D' M  ^ Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

+ }. P6 Z- K0 ?9 n" Y The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
) _, {, ?  b) ~) A5 h$ j. _! N  W Spiral outwards
- O2 i4 E/ d' g8 i2 w Moving far beyond itself.
. h3 `. o% V* o% u3 E Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

: S- j6 q( o5 @) p& I) v/ ^6 X The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
8 S$ X. V: }7 ]4 J; H Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

5 E: F; T  X: p. j! E8 o Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
5 P! q5 j8 o6 y/ H; {* s on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
3 x2 ?* ~* p0 Z+ t) L Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
/ l5 }% C# ?, p' F* L; z Into the pond of life
$ s9 Z8 W  F& A  @0 R& Y1 | Creating ripples
. }( @# T0 L" n* ?* z that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
  K1 b, O9 R; h not because of well meaning plans
" V% U- v1 U& ~4 {( K But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
6 L+ T6 o$ W" m0 m$ G/ l: ^- { No matter how seemingly insignificant
5 |* V+ W' J9 [0 [& A Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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2 @) s5 M" E& @4 ^8 s0 F1 g And when the icy winds of death
4 _! P4 t8 w" W: S9 H/ L beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
# m% Z& F* g& O- B With the knowledge that
4 o% X5 r5 o; l" `9 C. t because of that one pebble
" V6 d* E# w" Z- r The world will never be the same.

2 S- \) h6 G  e, ]( m$ |: X And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
. F2 U/ |1 O/ q. q 8/18/03