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
' Y1 G' ^7 y0 V0 h" u1 }1 H Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
' O1 N. b8 d! O0 \% L# U1 O! o4 K A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
/ e8 W7 ]4 i! @  X: [/ W5 a- w: Y An accidental offspring of a boulder
  C  |+ h  m+ |' R5 M But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
1 O/ y7 _; T0 ~. L3 X Is neither understood nor appreciated
3 f! [( k) a1 d But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
* B6 O  M: F4 N9 E" s Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
+ w. a* L7 _1 \ Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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. e. w  Y0 g0 \6 C+ s The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
% p9 K9 v7 c( ]5 p Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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9 x$ u) ]2 E" s  P* Y Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
/ d' u0 I+ ?8 M- u+ a Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
9 ]8 P$ n& R& [5 X Our everlasting future
% v  s( w9 \: \; y, w4 u2 x- E Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
3 S! A/ r' T! U+ s* H Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
4 F. t  e# c- I9 ?$ L2 ~/ Q# c not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

- U2 {( C" U# k0 h7 q' u( l* i Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
  n; s3 ^( s0 J7 y3 j! M8 T No matter how seemingly insignificant
. v+ Y0 n% Q4 c9 b& M- m& V Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
3 j5 \. o8 d) n6 d! N0 Q6 m We will gently leave this life
% t! \8 y6 \/ L, l5 N& L0 \ With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
+ F2 `8 P' o" { 8/18/03