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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  ]4 g9 d, `! c* o) N 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.

0 Z6 `9 T9 T. X Heaven
1 I: H  ?  O4 J& S The pebble is worn smooth
. [( D: B: {' u9 M* B# [+ W, l% i Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
/ Z" j3 G+ p/ Z; o5 W- O+ ` A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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+ T  p& @& z4 R' p- w* i0 W% S The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
5 r" C0 G8 s7 u. _ Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
# k  H7 n% H' n6 H  [/ `+ |' H Its signature of concentric ripples
! k+ E, H4 @; c Spiral outwards
& K, x' _, T( g: d0 ?2 g Moving far beyond itself.
) ~5 ~) N  Q1 V7 _- r* }; a 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
- l+ T! z' c/ ], @: M0 W# L Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
5 o9 {; v& H( g4 ~  K" \8 v Feeling small and insignificant
: M! \8 \; I7 t' _7 | But ultimately recognizing
  W3 u2 B3 i. h! J That who we are meant to be
6 Y7 h6 t1 n# I- g$ Y Can never be measured in isolation
' [' `# r, e8 m9 T, ~# l' O on a path into ourselves.

/ ?$ H8 `6 E' M5 S+ p2 O  j3 o It is true then:
% S; X$ B' l; }9 _ Our everlasting future
+ p2 h6 X$ D1 L$ I" P: p6 m Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
8 |. u) A# d1 R3 x7 s# c that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
/ a7 q  G8 F$ `0 s6 {9 G' ^ not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

" q: R* w9 ^, c# \ Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
1 r2 U: u1 o0 l& g: n# `! t2 Q Of those we touch.?
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$ ^# w/ a0 ^2 P5 [0 D And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
$ k) J! f( R! r6 S1 B We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
& @5 w  V) V: \2 P: K4 v/ e because of that one pebble
: I% Y+ r2 L3 m( U/ r, } The world will never be the same.

% g) \3 |1 T' I7 w; b6 U And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
0 t: N4 R' c. A 8/18/03