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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3 T/ \! ], _' \0 H: z4 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
$ K3 o( U- k: R! @+ T But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
' |8 v) G! Q9 }; F# u; @9 ^3 l( S But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
' Y- e3 Q7 b% K3 Z. }; q' P Its insignificance is transformed
1 z  I3 R3 c0 B1 e% P5 H! k Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
9 W& q7 E; I* e; R Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
5 {" _" s0 h4 c0 ?/ D Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

. V5 T3 Z& O! W- A' G7 X$ F; ^  v The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

% @# z* Q+ U; B. f Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
( s, o4 d' k: L# z Can never be measured in isolation
2 ]0 Y4 S- T" v9 V/ M2 g on a path into ourselves.
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It is true then:
Our everlasting future
& H5 p: |& V# Z- S/ t1 u0 l Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
) |/ k7 T  R! ~/ @9 Q Into the pond of life
/ x9 n4 m; x/ P7 g. {7 g8 r Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
+ m8 p4 q7 a* |: d  J5 Y not because of well meaning plans
( D4 Y) M# j$ b$ W But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
& O: j* A' \5 k- H% r. r Of those we touch.?
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And when the icy winds of death
: `5 o2 w% X8 t6 P. M: k2 j5 f beckon our lasting attention
7 ~0 H1 _4 B" L7 c) Y0 e2 V; I We will gently leave this life
5 }* B# P7 q  p$ r4 m With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

% l) h3 ^0 Z4 s. E0 v And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
& P1 p/ ^  q7 M; ]4 o' m 8/18/03