Velvety-Smooth Chocolate Cake

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 to be 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
goodbye. 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 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 the best is yet to come.. Friends are a very rare jewel,
indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear,
they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to
us.