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.

* `$ ~& k9 R. d2 m7 D/ [# s 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
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
& i9 F! D$ b: w" _" V A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
3 r" V; |, \) { But just a very small stone.
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% D# z6 f+ t4 h" M The pebble's place in our world
) o- j+ d0 R5 ?9 @5 T+ A& k Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
" n/ M; g4 O  N5 F Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
4 {' r2 v# q9 y) s* Q6 k5 W( G Gently affecting everything in its wake
1 ]0 M/ g& t1 D8 A0 u7 F7 I Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
) _- _0 ?" H7 @. q6 @+ Y6 M
The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
/ J) n' }# K' m3 S! ^ Creating karmic energy
0 D* j- ]+ C9 k0 n Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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: L1 ?% X/ }2 J* q- `5 `" G& h Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
" P; P  Y, t0 Z  V But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
9 h, |8 z" D" u( v+ _. K6 z Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
# g+ T2 `. ?  G) f Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
; E0 j+ A, w) f6 C5 }( N Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
. O5 X) R1 A+ J3 z0 U; l7 x But because of actions.
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Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
" `! K& C8 c! X' [* o) z, `$ B; Q/ V No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
5 Y/ @# z, r; j Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
: H9 W4 K% T- i- }' e( a9 l5 h beckon our lasting attention
/ B# `* I1 T4 v5 O  f We will gently leave this life
  z# c) I# u+ G' q With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

' s: P4 J! ]- r6 F% g1 p And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
5 |" f: ]: j. b  l 8/18/03