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
& n4 t/ h. Q# I$ h% J) I! B Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
" l. ?/ G7 |5 m5 A2 S$ W A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
' O7 I/ p3 D$ e5 o An accidental offspring of a boulder
- R+ G/ P/ o: y' R But just a very small stone.
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$ v  j. t1 [* u( F The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
' r6 |- h; H) x6 _ But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

The instant the pebble kisses the pond
# m1 m- h# [- ]) G& r! i/ @ Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
0 A! v+ [& T$ F. }9 O4 M Moving far beyond itself.
Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
, m$ }$ p: L) _- F+ u8 n Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.

Aren't we all pebbles?
1 X3 w+ e8 L4 W% Q. Z3 _3 p4 y Feeling small and insignificant
* P( t  `6 l' {" S+ z/ T' l But ultimately recognizing
. ~6 N) b1 u' f- i! N9 C6 n 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
" U. j7 D& S2 | Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
' h) U9 X& g- R7 Z1 h/ o Creating ripples
9 M6 D9 d2 V( a( u that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
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* F# D) X4 c. z4 D" ?) E Our life's prayers our answered
4 @2 y; E2 Z1 f/ p+ }. N* d Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
( M: d! R1 F- J- W* F6 [! g Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
6 {. }" G1 A; N# l beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
, F& ~) C9 x$ r8 h' O2 s because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …
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7 Y. H% S/ `# u; s# K Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03