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,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. Friends are a very
rare jewel, indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an
ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open
their hearts to us.