A huge female humpback whale got caught in a terrible mess of crab traps and thick ropes. Hundreds of pounds of heavy traps dragged her down, making it hard for her to even stay at the surface. Ropes were twisted tight around her tail, her body, and even pulled inside her mouth.
This is the story of how she said thank you.
A fisherman saw her struggling just outside the Golden Gate, near the Faralon Islands, and called for help. A rescue team came quickly. They looked at her and knew the only way to save her was to jump in the water and cut her free, even though one flick of her giant tail could kill them.
They worked for hours, carefully slicing the ropes with curved knives. Finally she was loose.
The divers said she started swimming in big, happy circles, like she was dancing. Then she came back to every single person, one by one. She nudged each of them gently with her huge head, pushing them a little, looking right at them, as if to say thank you.
Some of the divers said it was the most beautiful moment of their whole lives.
The man who cut the rope out of her mouth said her big eye followed him the entire time, and he will never forget it.
I hope you are lucky enough to have people in your life who will dive in and help cut away the things that are holding you down.
And I hope you always get to feel the joy of giving thanks, and of being thanked.