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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. o9 p  T' S8 }3 Z* B 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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! c2 }4 c  d: ` Heaven
* z% H0 C/ A2 O  c The pebble is worn smooth
- Z( d* b, ?4 F, b Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
1 F2 w0 t! s2 s0 v A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

, }6 n4 R" a4 H( o2 C" [ The pebble's place in our world
: U1 u( R- O# \$ o: p3 n Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
' b. K4 d) W6 m+ c# T3 J Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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* J8 c) d" W1 u0 b' [ The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
" D+ d! k, o! m9 @ Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
1 l7 u, M) t) N( v0 p By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
' a" i8 J' |' f) c Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
0 U$ y& I% s( q( x7 B/ B7 ?( X Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
* S; I( _4 w! \* l# w$ ~ Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
, g. X+ Q/ {7 J% Y. i Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
1 U0 W: E' r% \  s/ b8 _ Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
% W+ W$ W+ {. {! r" ?2 h4 ]3 U But because of actions.
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6 a' m9 k5 h- \' w8 g# n Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
% G5 J/ `$ y4 W/ r5 t* K) J5 L' r Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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) P- M4 @' L3 N& X0 H7 Q And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
9 ~. l( r3 C$ C. |  k5 w8 u because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

  i# r' t' ]9 _* h+ t Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03