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.
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Heaven
% i/ v+ r, j* t4 ]3 @ The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
# `4 `" B  g. D; \; S A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
5 i9 M" v  I- K; P. n, A2 q6 K A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
8 X" g7 q& n8 \: ~ An accidental offspring of a boulder
) f: J! @  P5 H9 A But just a very small stone.
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$ |) l5 p, y0 I- s0 i7 c, } The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
  X2 f* a2 V0 t+ _( k But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
1 @( }1 c( x7 W  d. k Its insignificance is transformed
: d. \- d; M; e- e! c Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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) V7 P" J9 V1 i  } The instant the pebble kisses the pond
% n* ]; J, H$ \+ y  F Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
& W1 P& S; N: Q/ W, Y Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
4 u3 m& \4 B3 S% p3 f: u Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
+ v, _: Q- M4 u( g6 ]) x Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
$ V5 @5 x  h' s- j6 N8 q, h1 R Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
% m! Z% ?3 }" T0 V+ v5 a Can never be measured in isolation
1 b+ s- V' }+ o+ {1 |) p on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
1 p. {' y$ F/ c' V5 M- [+ m Our everlasting future
; X3 Z' ]1 P+ x2 V! j2 M Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
& t( z5 e" S4 v' y that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
- X. S  h+ q6 a6 L But because of actions.

, H8 K6 q) \2 W6 v1 ?/ y8 s Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
' {# p; \7 w5 c" y5 \ No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
1 b. b/ B3 {+ X. [. R9 K  y9 Y Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
3 ~+ w  I$ ~1 [6 K8 ~ We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
* w- `  ]* h8 B5 m9 g because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
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: _( F/ ^, m0 P1 \; W7 a4 c And then we have heaven …

! j5 {- t# g- U1 e2 z6 C2 ` Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03