Thanks

Some hugs of thanks you’ll never forget.

Have you ever had instances when saying “thanks” wasn’t enough?  It can be super hard to convey true gratitude.  Saying thanks shouldn’t ever be forced.  Sometimes we respond in an automatic means that isn’t really heartfelt.  It’s something that we are all trained to do.

I thought it might be interesting to review a real-life human drama to observe a natural desire to offer thanks.  You might be surprised who ends up thanking who. Put your headsets on and listening to this special podcast episode including determining how you would offer thanks as a result of something life altering.

(HIT PLAY and LISTEN)

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Thank you for joining us for this podcast episode 030 of
True Connections with Weston Jolly

 

Transcription:

The nature and importance of words are significant to communicate an idea but some words don’t seem to impart the depth of our true desire. In language, music, math, or discernible images we depend upon good old fashion words in combination with this thing we call energy. When we use words to communicate we are always sharing energy.

The purpose of True Connections with Weston Jolly is to acknowledge the flow of our relationships with everything. The word “everything” sounds a little broad but it isn’t when you realize the scope of our interconnections. There is one word I want to share with you today that is so commonplace that it’s devalued in importance. The word is Thanks.

The true energy behind gratitude is so powerful that it’s truly hard to comprehend. There’s not a person on Earth that is unfamiliar with the concept but remarkably very few really understand the nature of the power. Part of this is because we are taught to be thankful. That is to say, we are forced to give thanks.

So, with that purposely academic beginning I want to mix things up. My intent is to capture the energy of what it feels like to REALLY feel gratitude and offer thanks in a way that you’ll never forget. Let me start with this….

_____Audio of Airport Tower with Captain Sully_____

_____Audio interview with Beth McQ Passenger of US Airways flight 1549_____

_____Interviews_____I don’t think there are words of gratitude when you realize the fragile nature of life. (Death)

_____Passenger Interviews_____

Is she talking about gratitude? Is this what she is referencing? The need to get together and to offer one another thanks? Thanks and honor to celebrate life as a result of their incident.

Gratitude as a whole can be really difficult to express when “thanks” as a word just doesn’t seem to convey enough of your appreciation. Have you ever felt that way? How do you express thanks? You keep thinking about that and I want to share with you another example of getting into the energy of thanks.

Let’s flip the coin. Let me share with you another kind of story. A story of thanks…

On October 17, 1995 twin girls were borns born 12 weeks premature in a Westminster, MA hospital. It’s hard to imagine your newborn twin babies only weighing 25% of what is considered normal but that was the case. These girls only weighed 2 pounds each.

With premies there’s always the fear of complications mostly because the children didn’t have enough time to fully develop. Only three weeks later the parents, Paul and Hedi Jackson were at their wits end when one of the babies started struggling to breathe. She was turning a deep blue due to the lack of oxygen and her crying hysterically.

Gayle Kasparian, a resourceful nurse in the intensive care unit, had the idea to put the twins who had been separated in the same crib. Almost instantly the stronger twin cuddled up to her weaker sister to snuggle. If you haven’t seen the photo, make sure to take a peak of it here at this post on my website.

It was one of those things that happened very quickly. They really couldn’t move that much but with a little bit of a squirm the arm went up and the arm of the stronger twin was actually hugging her twin sister. The younger twin’s breathing and vital signs instantly stabilized. A photojournalist happened to capture the picture that transformed medicine.

For you see, it was easy to measure the healing power of touch. It was dubbed as the rescuing hug and this story has been shared in Time Magazine, Reader’s Digest and of course CNN and so many other places. My point is sharing this story is both two fold.

The power of touch is infinitely strong and it can be wordless. It is genuinely felt. There is energy in our connection and certainly with our touch. This is true with thanks and gratitude too.

While the medical community immediately embraced what is coined “Kangaroo Care” which is defined as skin to skin contact with mother and child or in the instance of the twins, putting them together. I guess the Kangaroo Care name is derived from how female Kangaroo’s put their baby in their pouch. I’m sure you’ve also seen new mothers who wrap their little one in a Kangaroobaby sling.

It’s all the same concept. Touch. Real touch. And don’t you think for a moment that a hug of thanks doesn’t have the same impact.

I can imagine being a passenger on US Airways flight 1549. I am sure to have hugged John Scully. I would have hugged every flight attendant too. And it’s likely I would have hugged every person on the plane. All in an energy of thanks.

If you remember from last week’s podcast, episode 29 when I hugged Pat, the nurse who assisted my best friend right before his open heart surgery at 21 years of age. I really hugged her. I wanted her to feel my appreciation and my love.

In this moment, I really want to offer each of you that kind of appreciation. I don’t want it to be just some kind of generic thanks. I’m not interested in just offering you a handshake either. I want you to feel it. I don’t ever want to force my thanks on you but I really hope you can feel my appreciation.

Personally, I don’t know of any other way. While it could be said, I was taught to say “Thank you” as a child as likely you were, real thanks comes from someplace different. Like I said in the beginning it’s an energy. This energy is what is felt when we shake hands or even pray in thanks.

As the flight attendant said, “I don’t know why but there’s some reason that we -the crew and the passengers- need to come together. Perhaps it’s to celebrate in gratitude. It’s a natural desire. And if you’ve ever been to such a space you’ll find the energy in the room to be wide open.

The reason I wanted you also to hear the audio interviews from pilot Chesley Sullenberger and crew was to also share with you his desire, and even the need, to thank everyone participating. You can tell he meant it. Thanking the Red Cross, the police, the firemen, and even the Captain of the ferry boat makes totally sense and it should now make sense that Captain Sully thanking the passengers too.

All of this leads us up to me thanking you. I so desire to offer each of you a hug. It’s hard to want to offer a hug, to properly convey the energy and emotion of thanks, but that’s my desire. I want you to feel it. I hope you’ll feel it.

There’s so much more appreciation to share with one another. Especially the things that we share in common. Our desire to see the truth. To make courageous change and to grow.

The desire to offer love in a world that sometimes doesn’t appreciate the love that you’re offering is to be expected. But don’t let any of that deter you. I am encouraging all of us to give more in our last podcast this time it’s to receive more.

References:
1. US Airways Flight 1549 Full Cockpit Recording. Click here
2. Interview with Miracle on the Hudson Passenger. Click here
3.Celebrating life at their one-year reunion. Click here
4. CBS News Passengers recall “Miracle on the Hudson.” Click here
5. 60 Minutes Passengers Reunion. Click here
6. CNN The Hug that Changed Medicine. Click here

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