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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* m1 S* y9 g2 L& O5 [" W Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
8 P* r* ~% h/ H" M6 L- A A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
0 ~8 X5 N& e1 Z  J! V7 I" _7 @ But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
! s/ F( i: f& p% x Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

' U" O  I7 T1 d" K  y2 C The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
3 L3 _! G3 q0 G+ |- Z- a* b Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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% S9 e, z; F. ~, t2 K The pebble creates its worth and meaning
% \5 [8 e3 T- V By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
  G8 {% a% q! e+ i Creating karmic energy
: S& Q+ ~& ~3 O% L2 C Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
  p, |9 F/ S: x3 s( N Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
' F+ U7 ^& X0 v# t9 w% e 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
. t" r) ?2 ^7 b6 k Into the pond of life
) l: j" f6 `* j  M1 q) d Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
) t8 h; b  Z1 R% V( [' W0 O Not because of thoughts
/ `2 D' p* o2 X! ]( r( z not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

; r& p/ f& f: d( r6 l Our life's prayers our answered
& S/ I6 R3 |. z% B9 V. y Because even the smallest pebble
8 @) d$ t' d0 ?1 N- K No matter how seemingly insignificant
# x8 Z/ o0 K  s8 W) i# Q* @3 m Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
% W6 C9 [& V* T7 O& j beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
& j' n1 i  z/ e4 j3 B8 d6 |7 }4 z The world will never be the same.
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+ w, o$ q9 b: n. Y And then we have heaven …
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+ y. R/ c/ r$ j Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03