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
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
8 ~/ [1 a6 o. g A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
) [1 X( U" h" E% }& [' [3 M But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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: L: _9 v. h4 G The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
* h2 O  W! a$ j% `3 H7 ? Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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) p' W- B5 I2 x, Y$ a+ r The pebble creates its worth and meaning
. s% c! `, m! T; a2 k0 d( a By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
5 H0 N# E% a' O Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

* o: K: ~2 Y6 A! v6 ?$ ] Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
+ z0 p: `. v4 }6 t: e; w But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
, O' G- x3 Y4 W. r1 p on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
Our everlasting future
; K7 n  |& h: j4 P6 l/ E Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
$ M, _6 _5 N2 H6 P6 D8 p3 w Into the pond of life
7 K- C4 M/ e3 ^1 x Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
6 t: M; H# s  ^ Not because of thoughts
5 @4 g) R9 l$ q  w  L0 C not because of well meaning plans
' b  F& K/ y8 I: b7 }. E But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
1 V( [# R/ a/ J5 l) ~: g3 ~ Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

# r; C* ~0 [$ m+ A( \ And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
+ q1 d/ n# u  n; L! G; ~2 p: c We will gently leave this life
2 g: u- F4 S3 }, e/ @ With the knowledge that
/ h- l! K! i5 j& v because of that one pebble
, m# s( o/ t- l% Q5 t2 E The world will never be the same.

/ z8 [& O# z( I" d% ?& K0 q And then we have heaven …

2 B4 g$ z! p: A0 K Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03