FW: Keep your fork

Yahoo Archive
1
Subject: Keep your fork



>
> There was a young 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.
>
> Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave
when the
> young 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 young woman continued. 'I want
to be
> buried with a fork in my right hand.'
>
> The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite
what to
> say.
>
> That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.
>
> 'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the
Pastor.
>
> The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this
story,
and
> from that time on I have always tried to pass along its
message to those
> I love and those
who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of
> attending socials and 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 young
> 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 young woman
had a better
> grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what
heaven would
> be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much
experience
> and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.
>
> Several people were walking by the young woman's casket and
they
> saw the cloak she was wearing 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 young woman shortly before she died. He also
told them
> about the fork and about what
it symbolized to her. He 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, ever 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 Cherish the time you have,and the memories you share
... being
> friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet
responsibility.
>
> Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND even if it means
sending
> back to the person who sent it to you.
>
> And keep your fork.







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