Skip to main content

[Short Story] Keep the Fork

There was a 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. The woman also requested 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 surprises 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 potluck 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 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 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, another favourite 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.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Basic Rosary Prayers (Tamil and English)

Sign of the Cross In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. பிதா, சுதன், பரிசுத்த ஆவியின் பெயராலே ஆமென். Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, பரலோகத்தையும் பூலோகத்தையும் படைத்த எல்லாம் வல்ல பிதாவாகிய சர்வேசுரனை விசுவசிக்கிறேன். and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, அவருடைய ஏக சுதனாகிய நம்முடைய நாதர் இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவையும் விசுவசிக்கிறேன்.who was  conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, இவர் பரிசுத்த ஆவியினால் கர்ப்பமாய் உற்பவித்து அர்ச்சிஷ்ட கன்னிமரியாயிடமிருந்து பிறந்தார். suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. போஞ்சு பிலாத்தின் அதிகாரத்தில் பாடுபட்டு, சிலுவையில் அறையுண்டு, மரித்து அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார். He descended to hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; பாதாளத்தில் இறங்கி மூன்றாம் நாள் மரித்தோரிடமிருந்து உயிர்த்தெழுந்தார். He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; பரலோகத்திற்கு எழுந்தருளி...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sacrifice vs Choice: My Journey with Jesus

When I first started seriously thinking about becoming a disciple of Jesus, I’ll be honest I braced myself for the sacrifices . I thought following Him meant giving up a lot of things I loved, or at least things that felt really important to me at the time. You know that feeling when someone tells you, “It’s going to be hard, but it’s worth it”? That’s kind of what I expected. Like I’d be constantly battling my desires, trying to be “holy enough,” and saying painful goodbyes to people, habits, or parts of myself. But here’s what actually happened: once I made the change... it didn’t feel like sacrifice at all. Sounds weird, right? Let me explain.  “Sacrifice” means giving up something you really want, something that matters to you. But now, as I grow in my Catholic journey, I’ve noticed my wants have started to change. My priorities have shifted.  What I truly desire most now is to be close to Jesus. And when that becomes your top priority, a lot of the other stuff that...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psalm 112: The Storms of Praise, Blame and Silence!

6 For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered for ever. 7 He is not afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.   So, as I was scrolling through Linkedin and a quote just jumped out and grabbed me. It went something like this: "Just such a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame." Whoa. It was like a sudden jolt of understanding. Because let's be honest, that whole "unaffected by praise or blame" thing is about as achievable as telepoting to my next Mass.  My heart? It's more like a little sailboat on a very choppy sea. A bit of praise comes along, the sails fill, and I'm soaring! "Oh, they noticed ! They approved ! I must be doing something right!" Cue the happy dance, maybe a little internal pat on the back. Then comes the blame. Wham! A rogue wave hits. The little sailboat is tossed about, taking on water. Doubt creeps in. "Am I really that bad? Di...
Post a Comment
Read more