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.
At the funeral people were walking by the young woman’s casket, 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.
If life were a main course, its meal would be a bittersweet compilation of unpredictable flavors, textures, and varieties. But no matter how full you get, there’s always room for dessert. Whether you fancy a cinnamon apple pie or a luxurious chocolate mouse, dessert is a predictably sweet, mouth-watering concoction, piled to the heavens (with a cherry on-top).
So hold onto your fork; the feast has only just begun.
Love this? Share this inspiring story using the buttons below.
