There was a story in the newspaper, about a female humpback whale who
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, a line tugging in her mouth.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside
the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a
few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad
off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her-a very
dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They
worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

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, and
nudged them, pushed them gently around-she thanked them. Some said it
was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who
cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole
time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate----to be
surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things
that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and
receiving gratitude.


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