There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a deadly
illness and had been given 3 months to live. Her Dr. told her to start making
preparations to die so 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 she wanted to
be wearing. The woman also told her pastor that she wanted 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
shocks 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 functions where food was involved; my
favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course
would lean over and say 'you can keep your fork.' It was my favorite part
because I knew that something better was coming. When they told me to keep my
fork I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn't Jell-O
or pudding. It was cake or pie. Something 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: 'Something better is
coming so keep your fork too.'" The pastor's eyes were 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 that 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 there is something better coming.