In loving Memory...

My grandma Marshall passed away on Friday. She was such an inspiration to me. Skyler and I have been living with her and grandpa for just shy of three years now. In that time, I am amazed to see how fast her health had declined. She had a disease called PSP. It is an advanced form of Parkinson's. I can't even imagine how hard it was to still have all the thinking capabilities without any of the motor skills to express them. She was a such a wonderful person. She was so prepared. She made it easy for her children, she already had the casket she wanted picked out, she had her funeral planned, she had everything in order. She had asked me to talk and we all gave her our talks the last week of her life. It was a little nerve racking to give it to her then, but we did it. Well Saturday night, I found out that because of the choice I am making to fix my standings with the church, I would not be able to give my talk at her funeral. I was devastated, not because I wouldn't get to speak, but because I have made choices in my life that have led me down this path of destruction and now have hindered my ability to express my love for grandma... It was really hard. My younger sister gave my talk at the funeral. While I was sitting there in the audience, I was overcome by the warm feelings of love and acceptance that filled my whole body. I am so happy to know that I will see my grandma again, I know that she loves me and that I have a Heavenly Father that loved me too. I am overwhelmed with feelings of love for my grandma and the example she is for me. It is so wonderful to know that there is more to come...

I wanted to share this little story that was part of my talk... I think about it almost everyday now.

Woman and a Fork

There was a young 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 Bishop 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.

Everything was in order and the Bishop was preparing to leave when the
young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.

'What's that?' came the Bishop's reply.


'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be
buried with a fork in my right hand.' The Bishop stood looking at the
young woman, not knowing quite what to say. That surprises you, doesn't
it?' the young woman asked. 'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the
request,' said the Bishop.

The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and
from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those
I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of
attending socials and 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 Bishop's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young
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 young woman had a better
grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would
be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience
and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they
saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.
Over and over, the Bishop heard the question, 'What's with the fork?'
And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Bishop told the people of the conversation he
had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them
about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He 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, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.