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 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 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,

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.

~Author Unknown~