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.
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Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
Made small over time
/ i- u6 {" C$ i A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
( @6 |0 G& b( I6 N An accidental offspring of a boulder
But just a very small stone.
/ p- R% e0 P; n; {( O
The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
5 n, S3 `) T' o$ G, C But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
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The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
/ Q4 y+ P  W8 {: \ 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?
& B5 m* V7 e: C7 q' c: \% V Into a dueling force of action and reaction
- C- _$ \1 T9 O2 W Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
6 B! g" c: m3 A0 Q" s2 M9 O& L; }/ P
Aren't we all pebbles?
Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

6 u& x' ^' W( o4 n8 y* u It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
$ d$ V& G7 t" ]# r Into the pond of life
* W! R& O  T" l+ P) R Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
! e5 Q0 s5 Q: w) \2 k Not because of thoughts
& Q4 O1 _' J! J8 `$ L$ }3 j not because of well meaning plans
8 k$ L  k  k# g: n. l0 r But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
0 q+ ^+ V/ T( Q Changes the course of the lives
Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
beckon our lasting attention
We will gently leave this life
. l. a% o9 ?! n- i) L; m9 r With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
( R9 R. s4 m- f, p, e5 O The world will never be the same.

And then we have heaven …
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Ross Rosenberg
* N, \% k8 y! \( z 8/18/03