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." 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
Made small over time
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
Its insignificance is transformed
Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.
The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
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
Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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.
It is true then:
Our everlasting future
Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
not because of well meaning plans
But because of actions.
Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
No matter how seemingly insignificant
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
With the knowledge that
because of that one pebble
The world will never be the same.
And then we have heaven …
Ross Rosenberg8/18/03
Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., LCPC, CADC
Clinical Care Consultants
3325 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Ste 400B
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Phone:(847) 749-0514
Fax (847) 749-2995
Rossr61@comcast.net
www.Rossr61.snappages.com
www.RossRosenbergTherapist.com
Since 1988, Ross has been an administrator, professional trainer, counselor/psychotherapist, and an administrator in the mental health, social service and/or child welfare fields.
Ross is an established Illinois based professional trainer. Some of Ross’s trainings include
Sex Addiction: from A to Z
Caught in the Web: Cybersex, Romance and Fantasy AddictionThe Continuum of Self: The Attraction between Codependents and Narcissists
Therapy in the 21st Century: Technology’s Influence on Clinical Practice
Over the span of his career, Ross has worked with individuals who struggle with substance abuse, addictions, and co-addictions (Codependency). Ross’s addiction work includes chemical addictions (drugs/alcohol) and process or behavior addictions (sexual addiction, Internet addictions, gambling addictions, and spending addictions. Ross’s addiction services include counseling or all types, assessments, and professional consultation and training. Ross in considered an expert in the field of Sex Addictions and Internet Addictions, for which he provides comprehensive counseling services, training, and consultation.
Ross is well known in the local community for his work with hard to reach and oppositional adolescents. Typical issues with his adolescent clients include ADD / ADHD, drugs/alcohol, school challenges, anger control, eating disorders, self-mutilation, communication problems, and family struggles. Ross's work with teens also includes a family/parent focus, whether it is coaching, counseling / psychotherapy, or support.
Ross's work spans problem type, culture, ethnicity, gender, socio economic status, and sexual orientation. Some areas that Ross specializes in include: Marriage/Marital Counseling, Addictions, Codependency (Co-Addictions), Depression, Anxiety, ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Challenging Teens, Grief and Bereavement, Trauma Survivors (PTSD), Marital and Family Conflict, and LGBTQ issues
Ross's counseling / psychotherapy work with Codependency has enabled his clients to achieve balance, mutuality, and feelings of respect and appreciation in their lives. Balancing the care of others with the equally important ability to care for oneself is the cornerstone of codependency counseling / psychotherapy. Ross’s Codependency services includes individual, family, couples and/or marital therapies.
Ross's work with adult survivors of trauma and abuse enables his clients to break free from lifelong self-destructive patterns. His healing approach addresses "original wounds" (trauma of the past) which, without resolution, perpetuate emotional pain, suffering, and unsatisfying and dysfunctional relationships. This type of trauma counseling / psychotherapy promotes positive/healthy relationships, a heightened sense of well-being, and feelings of safety, control and happiness.
Another service provided is counseling and coaching for clients with ADD/ADHD. Ross provides assessment, diagnostic and a full range of ADD/ADHD psychotherapeutic services. Ross's collaboration with family members, medical, school, and employment personnel, creates a greater opportunity for success in the treatment of this disorder. Other ADD/ADHD services include coaching that addresses the following challenges unique to this disorder: communication, organization and follow-through, relationship and family challenges, work demands, and school demands.
Grief, loss, and death and dying are difficult issues that Ross helps his clients work through. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, job, lifestyle, or one’s health, vitality and even life, Ross guides his clients through difficult and often heart-wrenching times. Embracing diversity / cultural competence has been a cornerstone of Ross's practice
Ross's counseling / psychotherapy style has been described as solution focused, analytical, and educational while also being warm, intuitive, healing, spiritual, and compassionate. Ross's spirituality and metaphysical understanding enables him to reach people with diverse religious and spiritual beliefs. According to Ross, "for every problem, there is a solution; and within a warm and respectful therapeutic relationship lies the power to overcome the most seemingly overwhelming obstacles."I provide psychotherapy, evaluations (ADD, addictions/substance abuse), supervision, consultation, training, and business coaching. Some of my specialties include: challenging teens, parenting issues, substance abuse, addictions, codependency or co-addictions, ADD, adult survivors of childhood abuse or neglect, trauma survivors, depression and/or anxiety, and grief and bereavement. As an expert in the field of sex addiction and sex co-addiction, I provide a variety of professional services.