[CS-FSLUG] OT: Woman and a Fork

[Fred A. Miller]

*/_Woman and a 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 that many people twice her
    age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.  She KNEW that 
    something better was coming./*

    */At the funeral 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...and I'll bet
    this will be an E-mail they do remember, every time they pick up a
    fork!  *

    */And just remember...keep your fork! /**/ /*

    */The BEST is yet to come!/*

-- 
"Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it 
tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown

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