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 goodbye.
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.
