Giving Gratitude … The Story of the Entangled Whale

Always giving gratitude without remembering, and always receiving without forgetting.

A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and a line tugging in her mouth. This is her story of giving gratitude.

Another story: Never Give Up Your Dreams

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so badly off, that the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her…. a very dangerous proposition.

Benefits of gratitude. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

Importance of expressing gratitude

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

Another story for you: Great Stories and Storytelling Can Have a Very Healing Influence

Giving gratitude