There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness
and was given 3 months to live. As she began getting her
things "in order" she called her pastor and asked him to come to
her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She
told him which songs she wanted sung at her service, what
scriptures she wanted read, and what dress she wanted to be
buried in. She also requested that she be buried with her
Bible in her left hand.
Everything was in order, and as the pastor was preparing to
leave, the woman suddenly remembered one final request that was
very important to her. "Please, Pastor, just one more thing,"
she said excitedly. "Sure, what is it," came the pastor's
reply.
"This is very important to me," the woman continued ... I want
to be buried holding a fork in my right hand."
The pastor gazed at the woman with a loss for words. "That
surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman said. The pastor
replied, "Well, to be quite honest I am puzzled by the
request." The woman explained, "You see, pastor, in all
my years attending church socials and potluck dinners, I
remember after the main course and the dishes were being cleared
somebody will inevitably lean over to me and say .... 'keep your
fork' .... that was my favorite part because I knew that
something better was coming, like the velvety chocolate cake, or
deep dish apple pie. Something wonderful to add substance
to end the great meal."
The pastor listened intently as the woman continued, "So, you
see Pastor, I just want people to see me there in my 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 filled with tears of joy as he hugged the
woman goodbye. He knew that this would be one of the last
times he would see her before her death. He also knew
that this woman had a better grasp of Heaven than even he
did. She KNEW and trusted that the BEST was yet to come.
At the funeral, everyone who walked by the woman's casket saw
her wearing a beautiful dress, with her Bible held in her left
hand and a fork in her right hand.
Over and over the pastor heard people ask, "Why is she holding a
fork?" and his smile began to get larger and brighter each
time. During his message, the pastor told the people about
the conversation he had had with the woman shortly before her
death. He explained the fork and what it symbolized to
her.
So, the next time you reach for your fork, remember ~