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
+ [, Q2 ?+ S9 x$ a3 o; _ But just a very small stone.

( A, ?; H, n( ~ The pebble's place in our world
: A% Y) i; a+ t. K4 a; Q5 x7 f# n9 d6 o Is neither understood nor appreciated
& [4 C8 q0 y# l But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
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
/ t- \. w7 U! ? Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
' M# X! J+ l' u" _9 z2 L& L* G Gently affecting everything in its wake
+ R" H  p) E9 A Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
9 ~9 X& x- \9 P, i Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
, P2 o% J/ ]% _6 ~; l- E Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
" N) S4 k" t) W6 ^5 B% r That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
3 N6 V7 _+ G. e$ x1 ? on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
' O' ]* a  L- I+ Y$ \- m Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
0 h  v3 t8 q: k9 y2 l Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
1 I9 U  ?" v* R$ q6 Z  T Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
. M: |: h6 ?- s0 D But because of actions.
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. J: f! O0 R% D' I0 f Our life's prayers our answered
3 c2 [3 G7 M  ?1 S" Q+ H: q Because even the smallest pebble
2 y! A! Z. t' [& @  g0 r- C) \5 ~' H No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
; M: e- s$ P5 Z+ ^0 \# e( p Of those we touch.?
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* r4 P" c6 M7 W! q3 Y And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
5 |) D& ^% y) j. z- h+ u With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
& A) ?$ e6 `9 I# Z- u. q The world will never be the same.
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2 D" p) M4 S1 N And then we have heaven …
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; |* D$ m" I2 y3 j! m+ D' r4 V4 m Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03