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MountainWings - The Daily Inspirational E-Mail
#1176 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
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The Fork
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There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness 
and had been given three months to live. 

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.

"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 good-bye. 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. 



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