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
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
  N  t* D: ^+ q: E) f/ j But just a very small stone.
3 R5 F8 U5 @' U* ^7 i, }
6 n6 k, B6 B& W0 c. e The pebble's place in our world
( M1 a' i6 Q! b- _: f" q- \9 l Is neither understood nor appreciated
6 l/ \' _6 ?$ {& A! y& G2 u7 z But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
  K& B' ^; R6 p/ Y Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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) z7 [% I" `& j, h8 _ The instant the pebble kisses the pond
5 q' k* D+ Z7 d5 y8 O/ D6 c Its signature of concentric ripples
7 V0 z7 k8 _* c( [) q! q7 E% ] Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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! ?5 {. [6 J0 W6 [- f The pebble creates its worth and meaning
1 }( Q5 v6 E) p* X- f4 ~! u By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
% e: y) w$ R# q( F6 U: Y Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
5 p4 I  D9 m; h But ultimately recognizing
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
5 Y- K$ b* Z4 i0 o( t Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
" A% B9 S1 d: N Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
  ^% ~. ^; A5 z2 P But because of actions.

$ C* B! R$ ~- M) E Our life's prayers our answered
9 D; Y, d% w$ [1 ^. a& R; X- P; K Because even the smallest pebble
8 W* |$ U9 x4 r0 f No matter how seemingly insignificant
7 G) Z3 R! \) i/ @; X Changes the course of the lives
/ |* m3 }/ Z! Y Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
+ Q$ g) y3 V! I; K( c; o) e0 m* ? because of that one pebble
. F8 n( s& `/ `4 K) `+ d" H The world will never be the same.
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" {  A! y: c' X# K; e' K, C And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03