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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 stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite 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 the 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
good-bye.
He knew this would be one
of the last times 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 and 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 shortly before she
died.
He also told them about the
fork and
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.