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.

9 J" ~5 Z7 h- h* i/ R3 W4 K 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
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
/ q6 D% X0 S" N2 n4 C" F- _ An accidental offspring of a boulder
+ E8 v2 `6 j" i/ X1 F But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
  o: q/ Q- a! F Its insignificance is transformed
4 @! w' ?7 Y( e& K Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
6 i& d4 Y6 T+ v/ S6 F% q7 D( _
& e- S- c1 b) D: M The instant the pebble kisses the pond
' m! D' s1 ]- k) q Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
' N' c2 R) y% n" Y+ Y4 g Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
' p" I& m1 Z0 T* U Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
/ m9 S6 g) _9 Z  e
6 Q, N  ~: C  `$ X% G5 M9 h Aren't we all pebbles?
4 C4 @$ m: x6 X: m- \' } Feeling small and insignificant
# D& D3 u& T/ [, l2 p But ultimately recognizing
3 }) g3 @7 ], ^. J/ q8 z9 Q* U That who we are meant to be
& n7 l; I+ E+ w. Z5 j# C6 o; ?2 D Can never be measured in isolation
6 X  W6 t% @: e& T1 z9 A8 V0 y on a path into ourselves.
9 X+ N, E/ l' n% e5 y- F
& Y8 A1 H- ?. E( r1 E$ y* O It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
7 U' J% I- {0 L/ ]$ b- T that leave unique mark on our world
) `7 S1 L- E6 q( T Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
7 V# Y, ~+ s, \( m But because of actions.
5 ^8 y+ v( e% n& l8 A) g
  g8 P: f- V0 j/ X9 l Our life's prayers our answered
) P/ j" h. |9 s! u Because even the smallest pebble
6 _# W' l/ O! f No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
  Q9 z& P5 a0 R4 G1 @& _ Of those we touch.?
5 o1 ]* ?$ R3 j2 f
And when the icy winds of death
! L0 A0 e( Y: B beckon our lasting attention
7 }4 e  Q/ G9 ^( v3 R  m8 {- L We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
- E* u# @$ P" ^1 o& n# \$ K
( T& Z7 V. a7 O4 x7 b1 G And then we have heaven …
- ]/ U/ g+ }8 L" `5 w
Ross Rosenberg
  w+ Y: `( y; P1 W7 c% w 8/18/03