Keep Your Fork

A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three months to live. She asked her Pastor to come to her home to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, and what scriptures she wanted read, and which outfit she wanted to be buried in. Then she said, "One more thing... I want to be buried with a fork in my hand." 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 say to everyone, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite time of the dinner, because I knew something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep dish apple pie- something wonderful. So, I want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and wonder, "What's with the fork?" Then, I want you to tell them, "Keep your fork, because the best is yet to come." This story, attributed to Roger William Thomas (1996, A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul), touched our hearts and prompted us to capture our own real-life stories of what people think "the best is yet to come" looks like. We hope the 17 stories between the front and back covers of Keep Your Fork will be thought-provoking and inspirational, and that you'll understand why we ask you to: "Keep Your Fork. The best is yet to come."