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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+ `  E" R& R1 h) Y, J( M' j! M) U 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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4 {" W0 R. M" D* t* ?# Y 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
But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
! j4 I! @+ W: y* ~% p; J7 k Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
6 f) O/ J9 O" ^ Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
4 B; k$ ], M1 C Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
8 ~+ G2 r; }% H% O By unleashing its unimagined power?
3 C: h) c. s8 l# n4 z Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
! E8 O, c& n3 J" g) ]7 a But ultimately recognizing
6 Y2 U, J' N/ S; m0 n  R7 q That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
, E4 @. e; k" v' w6 o on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
" w. g; @% @4 F Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
& N! Q" m1 a9 ]; c Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
2 I+ ?/ Z( i( @7 S# j) H not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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4 A0 c: j( r7 g8 x) J  T6 I1 d, r Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
0 H1 d# ~. Z$ E  C No matter how seemingly insignificant
0 B  X8 g3 X6 ?: A) E Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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7 C1 p0 c8 y) Z7 z3 k And when the icy winds of death
6 f# i& z, e& e& @9 }; }' J beckon our lasting attention
, E: M2 s9 [: \+ ]/ {; k We will gently leave this life
  F: Z) q% r) Z$ _ With the knowledge that
9 ~. T. k1 w. c7 z because of that one pebble
! R, F# t, p) V/ u( g8 {3 ` The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …

1 `  v) C* v7 a+ d, ? Ross Rosenberg
8 H- k( d1 t' g( y 8/18/03