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
The pebble is worn smooth
" y6 p0 x2 ?3 r# ] Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
$ ?/ r$ n* G$ x6 H# l2 p: w A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

+ V2 _# `. G1 Z# h The pebble's place in our world
( b1 R6 X! [7 r2 X, x9 l  S Is neither understood nor appreciated
6 ]0 T3 x- z/ T, C. \ But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
7 \- K* _0 |6 z3 I* ~ Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

% ]1 i9 A! C% [5 V The instant the pebble kisses the pond
3 O) P, [7 G9 b/ `5 r Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
; T: O2 `8 ?/ z By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
" ?2 w. L  S+ ^7 R3 E% Y4 e& G Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
' T  n5 g" G; p8 Y/ C% q Feeling small and insignificant
# h0 M% W: j/ |% o& Z- p But ultimately recognizing
* c5 k  x# l* f That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
. e" U4 z9 n- d% c4 k on a path into ourselves.
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: _9 r+ V! W8 ?" U It is true then:
. i# h7 }% {+ M/ u& K Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
: z1 \) _9 N$ ~. ^; z7 @! |: w Into the pond of life
+ z: N4 N* D5 u* G  S( O" D8 N  F4 o Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
: g* g/ ^2 o4 D* i not because of well meaning plans
4 B5 W* G3 |- x& O+ n3 s- z+ M But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
7 Q# d. s9 l  ^4 y' ^5 M5 H& { Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
4 |) R' L/ i( M1 f6 A Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

9 N4 Z! m, f- M  `4 m And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
1 E  k; J& y1 S9 H We will gently leave this life
: [6 S4 r4 e/ j) P& w) ? With the knowledge that
4 P7 D/ F6 s1 Y, ]" v) P because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …
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, j( R: h& \' g* z6 k, P. U* [ Ross Rosenberg
5 k8 d* J: t7 W: D! Z  C 8/18/03