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
- p$ q) o" R# }2 C, J* y Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
/ O( H. ^, ]; f2 k  r! k A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
! O  M/ Z: g9 S! l* ~, w+ @ An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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. N5 d! D  w. B# W/ c The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
9 v. P5 k* C: L  M But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
1 Q+ p, r  W+ o! |9 B Its insignificance is transformed
/ q2 b' @. `" ~, N7 Y1 b3 w- Z1 Y Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

5 H1 V/ o7 M0 E- w4 ^. n9 s The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
: G$ H' N- {, q  F( b) j Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
/ {4 f- s  Q2 l7 @+ ^: m Into a dueling force of action and reaction
& F# Z$ m6 p4 ~& j4 R/ _ Creating karmic energy
# \4 ?) _4 H$ l7 m1 z Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
- U$ a0 N: R' p, l Feeling small and insignificant
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
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
) l/ Z. {' D# r- `% u  j" b Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
# M- k3 R- U1 P that leave unique mark on our world
( K7 |. Z3 v, ]$ h" @ Not because of thoughts
3 [' F4 n& B( X not because of well meaning plans
! [( ]* Y. e# _# U5 V5 X9 ? But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
: N/ X- D! G& G. X$ D9 D Because even the smallest pebble
" r" h- r2 C5 d5 Z) H No matter how seemingly insignificant
, ~. ?& t: d* @( t' L- `8 E Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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+ t: }. @% v5 g1 p2 u9 R And when the icy winds of death
5 s$ k& O; c3 {. B: T( V( w beckon our lasting attention
! ~+ T5 F' K9 D" W" g) X7 z We will gently leave this life
* @0 F3 N' i4 e' X7 p& _( @ With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

$ W3 }) t, K  |7 X And then we have heaven …

Ross Rosenberg
: M( k: [" y/ ]5 y" u 8/18/03