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.

5 ?' c: d8 F2 Q0 T Heaven
0 ?0 n2 l9 q5 B0 O The pebble is worn smooth
1 t  S/ I, `1 T Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
9 P3 b. y( ]' `7 A A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
  |* @0 Z& V& I4 W5 o) G Is neither understood nor appreciated
- S7 K# Z# u) I* G- B But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
5 _; r# f% y0 C$ y, C% b Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
/ f5 X: v' Q9 Q  X/ ?7 O( _ Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
7 z- y2 N: Q9 t* w6 `; m Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

1 _* Q. h2 ~4 Q" {7 m; `( R The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
3 G& F1 k9 ?% R" ]; ~  q. I' H Creating karmic energy
' H; b* y8 X- T5 L2 Y( ^8 {9 i Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
. G+ p! U) l" g Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
0 [$ M) S7 B3 c That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
$ ~& K5 F/ U4 m/ N! {6 F% ~1 Y" F Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
6 S; ?  k5 g: c3 m Creating ripples
* m/ i; S$ V( m! _# @9 N# c that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
/ @& `3 t9 [4 I. ? not because of well meaning plans
- r$ ]1 B3 E; { But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
4 I, K( u; U/ v0 A2 g  K No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
# A1 f( _2 J- Z beckon our lasting attention
7 K* U; T8 k! ~0 E We will gently leave this life
8 V  g# s. N# y$ p With the knowledge that
6 }$ S0 r* Y+ @; L because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
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; B. {% ]5 `6 r: K6 ~/ Z& s And then we have heaven …
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4 w# X* d8 q9 C6 `7 n Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03