| |
| 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 meetings, socials, fund-raisers 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... |
|
Site
Map
|