There was a woman who was told she
had 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 gave the woman a
hug. 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
on heaven than he did.
She KNEW that something wonderful
was coming.
At the funeral, people were walking
by the woman's casket
and they saw the party 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. He told
them 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!