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.

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
  C5 @! l$ u6 L2 A, Z Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
2 p% W$ F" ^0 O; \4 h7 B& R) T2 [ An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.

The pebble's place in our world
8 Z- M7 V0 |5 m$ P; B9 v8 r5 M Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
: g9 T5 j! Q4 \ Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
2 ]  ~, z0 Q1 z Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
* f& ?/ w$ x; p- y* V Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
! E- U& {! u  u  e6 @5 {& R: J
The pebble creates its worth and meaning
' N6 H2 q* f# V, B* G6 y& H By unleashing its unimagined power?
3 d- l/ Y# k2 s; d Into a dueling force of action and reaction
/ y; ^$ \: M: c! c$ L Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
. T% u+ Z/ h7 C- C, @' v$ o( r3 x
Aren't we all pebbles?
5 U3 u- X! v6 P2 a8 ]3 G Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
! a% f' @# s2 t( x# I4 q/ b Can never be measured in isolation
  f& d3 ~& ~, O) b! k on a path into ourselves.
$ s) m* X" m8 @4 I: T6 E2 v7 o) p& s
It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
: c  R3 u# F# K- A3 @! P  U Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
+ R, H. U5 y9 T# G+ d. Y, L! L( L Not because of thoughts
1 Q2 @: q/ W+ ]1 z- ?: F4 ^ not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

8 n# k( @2 W1 c7 z0 k0 `1 @ Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
& F  e5 S, D5 h& t+ b% f No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
9 X, i6 Z& _% d4 n0 y Of those we touch.?

9 U9 p9 J  o( b2 U& w And when the icy winds of death
6 z2 @/ j& U4 H# ?- c* Q8 K4 S beckon our lasting attention
* L9 I8 L; _$ `8 Q  E; ~ We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …

. {7 N" O! [9 v- c+ w Ross Rosenberg
& s. J3 X* h4 s 8/18/03