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.

1 T1 W8 L4 b; E2 B  d 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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Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
6 f& i9 Y! o7 f% Y5 |9 B Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
# R& d0 y) q; B" M A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
0 b' [! |! r1 A/ F( s6 f An accidental offspring of a boulder
# y8 W( H) J, i. }  ^ But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
" T6 d! T+ X; b8 A& U4 K Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
, L7 ~' h+ z7 F5 }4 Y Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

+ O3 q3 b, K% p' M' D& J7 [ The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
/ }7 I- o7 M0 [$ v* I" p6 L Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
8 V+ p/ G# v4 k& I. P Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

( @7 Y6 `6 s& S% d! W: l Aren't we all pebbles?
* C# k& [  x( {1 N7 j Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
( H5 M3 v4 R# r+ B That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
0 j- U" K# }# G3 m9 g- b- w on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
( @3 ]8 b5 c' P2 z! m' P: |8 g Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
5 X9 v: h& U  G6 S  i. J5 i3 L2 S Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
: X( G* q8 ~& h! d- V not because of well meaning plans
3 i) |. T  P* [$ \! t: B, A: d6 z0 {! e But because of actions.
+ F4 I2 X& T$ |9 o2 q8 ]
Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
$ V! e8 N1 U2 T* e2 M, O. e Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
0 v. [" O2 X, e$ p$ w2 I) f
# V% u6 G5 A% K0 l' r+ V And when the icy winds of death
) Y  Q: s* l1 `2 q3 s beckon our lasting attention
( {; \  l+ ^" Z( m" Z( U! l# V We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
7 k5 N5 a: i+ [9 t  x# m! q9 X7 Z because of that one pebble
6 h: d: ^0 ]6 C' U2 x The world will never be the same.
+ H* X8 F# V3 t
And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03