There was a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given 3  months to live. Her Dr. told her to start making preparations to die.  So 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 she wanted to be wearing.   The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her   favorite bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to  leave when the 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 woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."

The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say.

"That shocks you doesn't it?" The woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and  functions where food was involved and let's be honest,  food is an important part of any church event   spiritual or otherwise, my  favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say 'you can keep your fork.'  It was my  favorite part because I knew that something better was coming. When they  told me to keep my 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 better is coming so keep your fork too."'

The pastor's eyes were welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the 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 that woman had a better grasp of  heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the  funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite bible 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 woman shortly before she died. He also told  them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor 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 oh so gently that there is something better coming.