Mom carried on the tradition passed on from her mother of making a specific chocolate cake for birthdays and she would ofter remind us after a birthday meal to keep our forks. This story was a favorite of hers and she wants you to think of it when you think of the temporary life we have here on earth.
There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her affairs in order, she contacted her pastor to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her service, what Scriptures she wanted read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.
When everything was in order and the pastor was about to leave, the young woman remembered something very important.
“There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.
“What’s that?” asked the pastor.
“I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing what to say.
“That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the young woman asked.
“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 then on, I always tried to pass along its message. At church socials and potluck dinners, when the main dishes were cleared, someone would always say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming, like rich chocolate cake or a deep-dish apple pie. So, I just want people to see me there with a fork in my hand and 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 realized she had a better grasp of heaven than he did, and that something better was indeed coming.
At the funeral, people walked by the young woman’s casket and saw the pretty dress she was wearing, with a fork in her right hand. Over and over, they asked the pastor, “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 before she died. He explained the fork and what it symbolized to her. The pastor said he couldn’t stop thinking about the fork, and he hoped they wouldn’t be able to, either.
And he was right.
Keep your fork—the best is yet to come.