Sometimes a story finds its way to us at exactly the right moment. This is one of those stories. Keep Your Forkt is simple, heartfelt, and carries a message that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. It may even change the way you look at something as ordinary as a fork resting beside your plate. I hope as you read this, you take a moment to slow down, reflect, and remember that hope often arrives in the smallest and most unexpected ways.
This is a story about a woman who was told to keep her fork and the reason why. It will definitely make you think every time why you keep your 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 wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung in 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 is 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 Keep Your Fork Explanation
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 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 You 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, 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 the message, the pastor told the people about 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 he could not stop thinking about the fork and 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.
Life has a way of giving us reminders when we need them most. Sometimes they arrive through people, sometimes through experiences, and sometimes through a simple story like Keep Your Fork, as shared from one heart to another. May this story stay with you the next time you reach for your fork and gently remind you to keep looking forward with hope, gratitude, and expectation. No matter where you are on your journey, there may still be something beautiful waiting just ahead. Make sure you Keep Your Fork.
No matter where you find yourself today, the simple image of a fork saved for dessert still carries a beautiful reminder: hold on to hope, keep room for joy, and remember that sometimes the sweetest part has not arrived yet.
If you like this page, please check out my Passions Page
You can also check out Our Daily Bread Ministries