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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7 t) D8 h7 H& l8 t3 ] 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
7 G$ o  U+ E. Z$ n/ w Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
- Y7 X8 ?" F. `: ]0 `* W An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
/ f. R. a, q5 |* J! b  R But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
8 K- `4 _  @+ \' B% Q Its insignificance is transformed
1 W$ {, U0 Y# X" i8 D Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
4 n' E% ~! c) F) J) V' g% N Its signature of concentric ripples
' [1 [  t' ?6 m( l% o9 p0 { Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
5 ^3 H# E: _  Q" k  J( p Gently affecting everything in its wake
8 ~8 n8 W' @0 G! t+ | Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
% n+ }2 ]( P& B1 w8 x1 G$ }/ j
The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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' t, z5 x# h  E' p% J% T# a Aren't we all pebbles?
( ?$ K" V0 I' y0 c' { Feeling small and insignificant
# B2 e1 R4 [; V5 p7 M' F5 ] But ultimately recognizing
' w$ e' l* |  C2 v That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
+ G" Z  T8 c5 q4 s; V: {2 \ on a path into ourselves.

5 F" C3 J/ G" O$ o6 @. ^ It is true then:
: q$ ]; x5 j) F: O  c% K Our everlasting future
% X/ ]3 C% e) _ Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
# D6 t$ m3 j1 {6 H5 O6 T6 L Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
7 l( v3 v. Y0 o- ? that leave unique mark on our world
) P9 w0 _; v1 r& Q4 ~ Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
" J& x" R; T+ j) u$ T1 D But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
5 i, u. s  D$ ? Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
) u# q2 h" S5 X( G2 W1 |, K3 Q Changes the course of the lives
5 [# ]0 ]( }: ~- G' x( Z Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
7 x% k+ S1 |& z# m8 Q beckon our lasting attention
+ m, h- i1 u8 x8 ~$ y# Y3 W. {+ t, M& U We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

1 H0 Q8 H3 k! e4 I% ?' N And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03