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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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
3 t) m, c; _! s% A; H Made small over time
  R$ _; M' ^6 R. S8 o7 y A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
) ?- C# {7 A  ~3 ? A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
8 O( E. F2 ?2 E% y6 Q4 d An accidental offspring of a boulder
+ a7 r3 |' d7 N( K But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
, j( O+ o" X4 ?, G  W Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

) F9 W6 R: l5 o" n The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
0 d1 F, k+ Z# F( e/ F) x" O( E# ] Spiral outwards
% l% H4 d% N  J6 Y. y* j Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
: W% y. A% _3 a9 q& W By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
: B& O# |) j, y4 o Creating karmic energy
6 g- s: h, C# v; D2 f$ o$ b Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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. \9 h- s7 G! k+ P) v8 M1 a& g Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
) n4 u0 d7 i9 [$ p5 g; F That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
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4 m, [5 K" i; E0 s0 f+ a It is true then:
Our everlasting future
3 T6 R' q& A; u. ]$ b* l( Z Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
( t0 j9 }' L9 | Into the pond of life
' X, ?- @: @1 i# E& L9 T8 ? Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
0 W  Q- e$ `  y6 e5 S! X: H
5 S! f# _" {* N& v6 ] Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
$ b4 I3 N# [) }4 P No matter how seemingly insignificant
" E, I1 G  r  X1 B) \ Changes the course of the lives
+ t/ ^/ L6 y  [8 x, ] Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
1 O2 W/ k1 O$ {: x: B/ c2 t beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
- L# D6 p8 ~( h, e8 W With the knowledge that
! u& r: c8 X- `9 ^ because of that one pebble
+ [  J; [0 p9 M6 ~" M, ?/ i  i The world will never be the same.

3 n7 }+ Z7 x% U. t And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03