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
Made small over time
- M- U# ?% y- J7 |, e: r* H A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
- ^2 L  w# n$ @/ h& F% @$ H( a: f But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
8 D: i5 m4 ~7 V4 v0 ] Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
" }: G: V* Y; c4 s3 _) k3 j Its insignificance is transformed
8 w1 p7 X/ e7 \ Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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6 z: B8 k+ c) s7 H( \# t The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
& Y) m; P4 x# U Spiral outwards
- S, _  r" \8 Q: @ Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
9 c5 @. J7 d, ~- i Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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+ l; V3 ?. p3 p Aren't we all pebbles?
* Y4 P3 x* ]7 a' i, ~" F Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
7 A5 l3 h1 C+ \* o* V That who we are meant to be
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
: a! K& q3 l, s6 d; M) J* L Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
; j- t3 c2 _5 Q+ `$ N  q3 q0 J7 S& k that leave unique mark on our world
4 N3 ]6 S* R6 k& N Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

9 c0 v* n9 q- t Our life's prayers our answered
3 j+ k1 }- i' C2 x Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
  p. `- j' r6 G  I  v; t" g- c# C Changes the course of the lives
7 ?; R5 q$ `6 s" M) Y Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
1 O# K5 Y5 r8 K. H1 } We will gently leave this life
) u. |+ M" B$ d" T" N( `  \ With the knowledge that
( h: u2 ]  J7 `& q because of that one pebble
% \3 J  b( q( T0 V  L$ f& B4 K The world will never be the same.
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# Z8 f) T7 F. b And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03