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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" F" y+ D/ f) D0 s( q1 a 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
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
0 e  C3 n5 e. b8 x/ d A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
  R0 y* m  z0 v7 l+ @& [ But just a very small stone.
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5 E. b/ j0 ]9 R/ M8 u4 I5 j, g The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
5 u$ `4 \$ C7 Y/ J3 I3 u But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

( V& K. ~1 Y$ s6 P  z, x  j6 ^ The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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& I# h1 N( I8 F: D" k5 O) Q' M4 ` The pebble creates its worth and meaning
/ P  b1 J9 y% i9 _2 N By unleashing its unimagined power?
; C$ ?( p. H# R& b4 U/ q$ \ Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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, L$ N8 l6 ~3 l9 | Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
9 d- t! j: \) c That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
6 d4 G3 N% j. f7 f( @5 F# g' P$ d  w on a path into ourselves.

  J5 A  |) C) v+ x It is true then:
4 r) }3 Q9 R1 F$ O- W  w8 K Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
4 @7 A( J7 k" Z) }% L Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
: A/ ^- G" q4 i% M Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
  W4 I+ Z8 o, d# { No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
" J+ x( ]7 I& b4 F6 S Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
1 [7 u* y* S! _6 e" F2 a6 w' x because of that one pebble
( m0 F" @% p/ d& D7 a  D8 D The world will never be the same.
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# Q* R9 t1 P, l2 z( ~' \' c) a& p And then we have heaven …

9 ]6 H/ i! X2 S Ross Rosenberg
5 f" A9 w: U; v' I 8/18/03