Open Your Heart to Gratitude and Love

by Dr. Stephen Sinatra

Last Reviewed 06/24/2012

There have been many a New Year greeting in our mail boxes—and our email boxes—but none stayed with me as much as this moving photo and amazing story.

Though I had not heard of it before, it seems that the event chronicled here occurred back in mid-December of 2005. Obviously, the message is so timeless and so universal that it continues to move more and more people as it glides through cyberspace.

I was so touched as I followed the story and gazed at the photo. Maybe I was even more moved because, once again, it was not the easiest of holiday seasons for us, with loved ones facing serious heath challenges.

Whatever the reason, this simple story brought me to a serene state of gratitude and appreciation. The HeartMath research confirms that states of appreciation (gratitude) actually do touch the heart, and improve heart rate variability. Their Freeze Frame and Heart Lock In techniques are approaches I personally use and recomm open your heart to gratitude and love end to patients, friends, and family.

I will discuss these techniques in an upcoming blog, but for now, I'll share the story of the whale unedited with you, as there is nothing as rich as the version going around the Internet. And I wish for you a 2011 of living in your heart.

"The Whale... If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read 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 Farrallon 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.

“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 as she was thanking them.

“Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were 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 in this life. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude, appreciation, and love for those who've helped you, even those you could not help... peace"

We can all have our hearts touched as those divers did, each and every day. Just use a little "heart" and pause to meditate on something or someone that touches you in a special way. Whatever image(s) brings appreciation to your heart—for me it is always the innocent, loving face of a grandchild—visualize it often and know that by holding the feeling of love and gratitude that the image evokes, you are healing your heart.

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Meet Dr. Sinatra

Dr. Stephen Sinatra is a highly respected and sought-after cardiologist and nutritionist with more than 30 years of clinical practice, research, and study. His integrative approach to heart health focuses on reducing inflammation in the body and maximizing the heart's ability to produce and use energy. More About Dr. Sinatra