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
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
( e3 R7 i# l5 N A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
0 L! V1 W2 Y% L; j# L' Y An accidental offspring of a boulder
$ a6 ~) g2 j9 v+ D) \/ q But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
; ]# t( W$ f5 k' H/ B' T+ F8 x Is neither understood nor appreciated
% ^7 ]  h. F/ y0 @ But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
1 \- v% X( \6 ?6 z; t Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
3 F: D* G+ L, ~ Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

9 J' P; h6 N  d The pebble creates its worth and meaning
  `* [; m/ O/ \1 @% N1 _' G! I) j By unleashing its unimagined power?
) e3 e) H3 W6 z6 ]+ \) t Into a dueling force of action and reaction
+ l7 Q$ D2 x! ?8 y* u/ e# h7 w  W  s; a Creating karmic energy
/ s) A) w' H& P0 B9 I Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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8 Z5 l; B0 C/ ] Aren't we all pebbles?
  N- i% }$ d- l/ N! J8 c4 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.
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It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
! D' d& G# U. I- Y1 e Creating ripples
: V  N- g! `( |9 e that leave unique mark on our world
+ f$ x  J; V! T  W4 ]' x1 a4 S# i$ V) _ Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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4 d* \+ }, h9 \' x Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
# d8 [  A& S# T$ P, A+ x8 r# ? Changes the course of the lives
4 s0 j) L" u% q9 l Of those we touch.?
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& h- `  o1 |: I# c; R And when the icy winds of death
3 j4 P. s) `5 C% p8 ?( T( }* Y# o1 K beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
* |: y5 s# N. k because of that one pebble
) i- n8 ]7 U6 A$ H$ r4 H4 O The world will never be the same.

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