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
9 \  i! I7 P: o5 w5 c9 @! c5 Y The pebble is worn smooth
( Q# _9 l" T+ @/ l  b6 @, F# b* ^ 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
But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
4 s) p! f$ J, G/ R& P9 X Its insignificance is transformed
9 C/ A4 ?) T" y, x4 I Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
* C3 r( D! k( f4 h7 z' u0 h Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
6 i- K' P2 a- Q0 D: U) B Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
3 d" k8 _: ^4 j2 D. F Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
4 A' M7 n: {; ^  C) U; Z% K Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

/ x% D6 o! U7 Q, e& `6 e Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
0 i! c& u% U0 u, @. L2 T But ultimately recognizing
5 u& I  h/ X, d* q$ D; }4 O) m That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
/ u' g% X" F/ a8 x on a path into ourselves.
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6 F( t; A) D1 {( p5 H% y8 ] It is true then:
Our everlasting future
" }6 V3 d& ^4 [2 ^ Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
* @2 ~; {; i9 a1 H: ~/ k' ] Into the pond of life
9 |1 `$ b6 i1 F" G' G: T1 | Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
4 g" c$ B) e' U3 |( c, { Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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5 R- o: r# Y/ |6 { Our life's prayers our answered
0 |( |- `, \8 ^) D9 l Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
4 R. s; _7 F/ v- X' ^, Z4 h Of those we touch.?
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1 |2 J# n7 H/ h6 U And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
0 u9 ^/ i+ X6 }) N! H* _ We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
0 I. D0 b* b* |" c# ` The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03