The Woman & The Fork

My friend Amy emailed me the story below and I thought it was just the kind of story that I would like to share with you all. It seems like we all have been experiencing more difficult times; whether or not it's financially, health concerns or battles for your soul we need to remember we are not alone - we have our friends and most importantly we as Christians have the Peace, Love and Mercy of Jesus Christ. I know that during this difficult time with my Mom's health I would not be able to make it through without His Peace, Love and Mercy.

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 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 read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.


Everything was in order and the Pastor 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 Pastor's reply. 'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.' The Pastor 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 Pastor. 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 Pastor'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 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 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.


Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share. Being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.

Love to all and many blessings to you, Tammy

My Steel Magnolia's

Last Night Anna, Nicole and I went to see the play Steel Magnolias at North Gaston High School - our "old" high school. It was a blast! The cast and costumes were spot on. Laughing at the amounts of hairspray used, the size of the "do's" and "Annelle" spontaneously praying all around the stage. LOL



It's such a great feeling when you have great friends with whom you can share all sorts of "good times". We just couldn't resist the opportunity to have our picture taken in Truvy's beauty shop chair. Here we are in all of our glory minus the big hair...ughm...Nicole. (Love ya)



OK, OK, you asked for them - here they are. Pictures of Anna, Nicole and me in High School - now how funny is that!?!







Whew....can you say AQUA NET - teehee!

Well, we have been trying to get Anna to go with us Letterboxing and she just can't find the time...can you Anna.?. So, Nicole lured her into a little night boxing - Caroline Shipp's box - mwahahahahah. We arrived at the location and for those who do not know the story, this is how it goes (quotes taken from The Dallas Doodlebugs, Atlas Quest Clue page for Caroline Shipp).

The story of Caroline Shipp is a sad and tragic one. On December 18, 1891, Caroline Shipp ate her last meal on this earth, a hastily provided snack of sardines and crackers eaten as she rode on the back of a crudely made coffin in the back of a creaking buckboard pulled by a pair of unwilling horses.

A short time later, Caroline Shipp became a statistic. She was the last person to die by legal hanging in Gaston County and the last woman to be executed on the gallows in North Carolina. But what happened to bring Caroline Shipp to this tragic end?
Barely 18 years old, frail and thought to be slightly retarded, Caroline had been convicted in mid October of murdering her son, not quite a year old, and a judge had sentenced her to hang by the neck until she was "dead, dead, dead!" He even ordered that gallows be constructed for the hanging; however, Gaston County had its own natural gallows, a massive white oak that stood one mile outside of Dallas. She maintained her innocence even as she stood at that tree looking out into the large crowd that had gathered to watch her hang. She said that her boyfriend Mack Farrar had given her son rat poisoning when she had left the house. Soon after she returned the baby started to convulse and died shortly afterwards. Farrar had said he would marry her, but he would not raise a child that did not belong to him.

The air was cold and crisp the day Caroline left the jail and boarded the wagon that took her to the place she would die. It had rained for several days prior and the roads were so soft and muddy, the wagon wheels would sink nearly a foot in some places, making the journey even harder and longer. Along the way she would sing bits of songs that she knew, stopping to tell those who had gathered along the road that she was not guilty of the crime she was to die for. Hundreds had come out to witness the hanging, some having brought picnic lunches to spend the day at the site. When they arrived, shortly after 8:00 am, Caroline was pulled from the wagon and told to stand on a high box. In her hand she held a white handkerchief and was told to drop it, as a signal, when she was ready. For several minutes she stood there softly singing an old gospel, as she looked out into the crowd for her sister or someone from family. They were not there. Again she spoke out, maintaining her innocence. Finally, she dropped the handkercheif and the executioner kicked the box out from under her feet. But the drop was short...not enough to cause death. Caroline kicked and thrashed in agony until a man disengaged himself from the crowd and pulled down on her feet until her neck snapped. Her body was left to hang there until late that afternoon, when they cut it down a buried it in a pauper's grave near the tree.

Her sad tale did not end there. It was rumored that she had become pregnant while she was in jail, and had lost her baby as she hung dying on that tree. That night before the loosely packed dirt could settle on her grave, grave robbers dug up the body and carried it away.

Today, over 100 years after this dramatic and traumatic episode in Gaston County history, Caroline Shipp is still discussed and found remarkable and fascinating.

The courthouse where Caroline Shipp was tried and convicted still stands and is used as the Dallas Police Department. The jailhouse that she spent 8 months in, waiting to die, also stands, but is empty. And......... the tree that Caroline Shipp met such a violent death at, still stands about a mile up the road from the courthouse and jail. Now, your journey will begin at the same place Caroline Shipp's did on that cold, wet December morning.

Here we are looking for the hanging tree.



Spooky huh...well you should be in front of that ol'hangin tree with a spooky story, only two small flashlights and a prison on your left. Not looking forward to advancing towards the tree - but of course Nicole was saying oh come on, you can do it, just a little further - ha! Wez wuz skeerd! I said, "What if we're walking down to the box and bodies were to start coming up and out of the graves (at one time it was the Pauper's Graveyard)...well just as the words left my lips I stepped on a crunchy stick that made the sound of rattling bones - dust and a bunch of screaming women - that's all I can say. Well, after that we made our way back down to the hanging tree - spooked again...more dust and more screaming women...but this time Anna had had enough - - well at least a part of her had...you be the judge. "Love ya Anna"



In all honesty I'm a great big CHICKEN and boxing this one at night gave me the spooks. We saw lights flashing in trees, limbs moving around like someone was looking out of them - skeerey!

Leave me a comment tell me what you think.

Blessings,
Tammy