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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- B" @; P8 ^2 c! Y9 C& ^; L5 M 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
2 P. P" W7 m* t( ~5 @/ g Made small over time
5 q# P- J& e7 b5 {! u' ~% o7 G% d7 E A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
8 U( T/ W. m8 r  o8 I; e A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
( h$ V* \. @! @/ }9 x8 n! f But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
4 R! ^# [1 N% H Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
& a; o8 |- l6 ?3 q Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
9 X# p" e; ^; [: t& P$ X$ M) v! ?8 K Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
# z# w3 V% t" d5 w& u2 D# V  L Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

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.

, `3 B! t2 d  o! n: k7 v* \ Aren't we all pebbles?
* ?% o; _, K1 Q5 l- N8 g! |3 | Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
" F6 ?; F8 B7 X That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
, ^% T- q8 S5 q1 m on a path into ourselves.

- @  L" `4 }, c5 j# d It is true then:
1 ?) P  w2 k) U2 S! y( k+ V* G Our everlasting future
* i0 {* D' Z' M4 G8 a% J. t% m' a4 N Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
% F9 |+ }0 k: E6 a8 R) h# ~ Into the pond of life
3 s2 T  {8 p, Q$ g  y) l9 U Creating ripples
) r0 g8 E# h/ F that leave unique mark on our world
0 P% `% J- Y6 `1 { Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
7 r+ ], {2 q3 z: k; \  o( r But because of actions.

/ j4 d8 w: I0 B9 d- c7 S0 Q" K' T/ A Our life's prayers our answered
9 n2 h' q2 v" |- T& G- j Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
4 E$ [( H( _( e, q; y+ I( B6 M Of those we touch.?

1 E: s2 k8 Y; x And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
( G$ x7 o$ Z: `9 R# a* D5 _+ u With the knowledge that
2 l9 {* n( X5 i6 ]4 ? because of that one pebble
- y) q: [" w. F! u, X9 m+ S The world will never be the same.
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( J' r  `- X; E# S* Z7 d And then we have heaven …
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3 F* Z+ V9 v# T6 p; P3 g) ~ Ross Rosenberg
& G5 i, L0 d4 ^* Z3 }- B 8/18/03