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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Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
: ?* {( C' g, R3 t2 j) D A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
& e& g) q0 L' ~  D An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
: {: c8 q, X! A" E2 G8 g6 c Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
/ I- |" r$ ?6 x4 |/ t4 }9 R. i$ F7 N Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

- d7 V5 p6 f# n5 w' G The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
# }& y% t; [5 g8 ^9 b8 S; t5 r Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
7 ]" }4 k8 C( \8 ^* q6 Z By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
( y) H$ b- D  T2 u Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

. i4 z& Q% P& m Aren't we all pebbles?
# E4 t3 S$ `8 O& S% K  E( J  h# k Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
$ q8 K* o8 y6 @# \ Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
/ t+ Q) C, u! X+ L. [ Into the pond of life
# n& O" }  t9 d( m! n. z& ? Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
) \/ w) X. ~, z) p$ D- j Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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) c2 ]* T0 ~0 \3 r8 I4 V% u; f Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
6 |1 q+ y9 a. O+ }0 D  L3 T Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
8 h" L/ ], \$ [. ~ With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
) U1 {4 S0 g1 M: v( |8 S6 t The world will never be the same.

. S" B, P& |% ^ And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
2 S) j, x0 B$ S 8/18/03