A woman was diagnosed with cancer and given 3 months to live. Her Doctor told her to start making preparations to die.
So she had her pastor come to her house to discuss her final wishes. She decided which hymns to sing, what scriptures to read, and what dress to wear. She also asked to be buried with her favorite Bible.
As pastor was preparing to leave the woman suddenly remembered something else.
"There's one more thing." She said excitedly. "This is very important; I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
The pastor did not know quite what to say. "To be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.
The woman explained. "In my years of attending church functions, food almost always was involved. Let's be honest, food is an important part of any church event; spiritual or otherwise.
My favorite part was when the person clearing away the dishes of the main course would say " keep your fork". When they said "keep your 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 great is coming so keep your fork.'"
The pastor's eyes welled up with tears as he hugged the woman goodbye. He knew this would be the last time he would see her.
At the funeral as people walked by the casket, they saw the pretty dress, her favorite bible and the fork in her right hand. Continually, he heard the question:
"What's with the fork?" Again and again, he simply smiled.
During his message, the pastor told of his conversation with the woman before she died. He told about the fork and what it symbolized. He said he had not stopped thinking about the fork and suggested they probably would not stop thinking about it either.
He was right.
The next time you reach for your fork, let it remind you that there is something great coming.
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