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.

# X' I7 B' {6 X 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
7 a8 e& o7 Z5 r8 k Made small over time
1 @& L6 f) X0 R1 `6 l! h! ]0 W- L A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
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: [2 p3 p9 n( b# k1 U9 s Its insignificance is transformed
/ M6 E' S; T# |) L" @1 N1 P Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
2 U# V, U, l1 V5 l* X+ M* u' @ Moving far beyond itself.
3 q/ E2 W+ I! K/ b" l; l" u: _ Gently affecting everything in its wake
Forever altering the smooth placid surface.

7 D: r: I5 E, v$ b9 J) x9 _2 T The pebble creates its worth and meaning
By unleashing its unimagined power?
8 P' X" B( T& C$ o( D6 g Into a dueling force of action and reaction
: C* R+ }5 P6 a6 ]8 G Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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Aren't we all pebbles?
$ ?" M0 U9 Q1 G. J+ m" h' V Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
( w5 Q! H% ~; O; ~ Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.
( n, g; s; v! w1 x
, S# G( U0 j+ ~2 Q0 u8 [ It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
( S5 p1 E: }- |' m9 }2 u1 j/ w( b2 k Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
# E$ h* O5 c+ A) s Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.

* t' k0 L1 K& q6 p Our life's prayers our answered
! U) R( T/ ^3 @* ], F7 z8 A% b& H Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?
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0 q% I  d, |6 C And when the icy winds of death
  x+ J7 t, R4 d  |: I. l/ Y beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
* b  Y% h1 v$ [5 a1 V% R2 v+ e The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …

  y* L$ S* h6 S0 L( T& r  k* x: N Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03