The Fork
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and
had
been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in
order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to
discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs
she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read,
and
what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be
buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor
was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something
very
important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. What's
that?" came the pastor's reply.
"This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried
with
a fork in my right hand."
The pastor didn't know what to say.
"That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest,
I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained. "In
all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always
remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared,
someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'. It was my
favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like
velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and
with substance. So, I just want people to see me there in that casket
with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the
fork?'.
Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork . . . the best is yet to
come". The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the
woman the last time he would see her before her death. But he also knew
that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that
something better was coming. At the funeral people were walking by the
woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing, her
favorite Bible and the fork placed in her
right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with
the fork?"
And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told
the people of the conversation he had with the woman about what it
symbolized
to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about
the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop
thinking about it either. He was right.
So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so
gently, that the best is yet to come.
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