"Keep your fork"

   

 Good morning and Happy Thursday! What a beautiful day it is out this morning, 37 degrees, a mild little breeze and sun shine! Sweet, wonderful, warming sunshine! I sat out for a bit during my meditation and let the sun wash over my face, my head titled back on the chair and the sun smiling all over me! What a sweet, wonderful blessing from God:)
      In prayer this morning I prayed as I normally do asking God to bless each and every one of you with what is needed today, I prayed for all of those who came with special, specific prayer requests asking God to allow them to feel his love stronger today than most, to allow them to feel him around them stronger than most days to allow them to know that he does hear our prayers and he is with them each and every step of the way. I prayed for a sweet "golden girl" celebrating her 89th birthday today, she has struggled so as of late with her health and has made it through the storm to celebrate yet another milestone, I ask God to bless her with a day of awareness and communication with her family who will no doubt rally around her to celebrate this special day! I asked God to bless each of those struggling with illness, with addiction, with depression, with lack or loss of faith, for those struggling with loss of loved ones, who are battling to stay on the straight and narrow road and walk in the footsteps, for those struggling with financial problems, those pounding the pavement trying to find work to keep your family going. I prayed for those struggling with rehabilitation and I prayed for each of the ones that come and pray with us here each day. God is amazing my friends, he hears all of our prayers and I know that he answers them, I know we all get caught up in the poor, poor, pitiful me...but really does he not always provide a way? Yes indeed he does, it may not be the way you have mapped out but it is a way and most of those "ways" turn in to something bigger and better than what we ever prayed for. When we have total trust and faith in him, he will always, Always, ALWAYS, guide us! Love in Christ to each of you...I am including one of my favorite little stories today in the hopes that it will give hope!

KEEP YOUR FORK! 

Attributed to Roger William Thomas
Submitted to Ann Landers by Kay in California

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 pastor was surprised.

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.' "

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he bid the woman goodbye. He realized she had a better grasp of heaven than he did, and knew something better was coming.

At the funeral, when people asked him why she was holding a fork, the pastor told them of the conversation he had with the woman before she died. He said he could not stop thinking about the fork, and knew they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.

"Keep your fork. The best is yet to come."