Inspiration

How a Fork Can Remind Us of Our Inner Strength When Times Get Tough

Written by: Nick Ortner

My sister Jessica recorded a short video about a special “fork” a few months back and it’s now been viewed over 2 MILLION times on Facebook.

What could be so special about a fork? And why is it so relevant to what’s happening today?

Watch the video below to find out…

Edit from Jessica: Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories with us. I am so inspired! And I did misspeak at one point. Kids can be impacted by this virus. My friend is feeling great and he and his family have fully recovered. Sending much love to all!!

Until next time…

Keep Tapping!

Nick Ortner

Download The Tapping Solution App today!


Do you have an item or a memento that provides you strength, hope, or inspiration when times are tough? Comment below!



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41 Comments on this post

  1. Janet Buckmaser says:

    Hi Jessica, thanks for that moving story. Both my grandparents and parents were married during the war (WW1 and WW2 respectively). My grandfather somehow managed to enlist in the RAF in WW2 even though he was well over 50 at the time. His plane was shot down in the North Sea, he managed to survive but soon after reaching land he was captured and sent to to a prisoner-of-war camp. He and about 70 others managed to escape through a tunnel they had dug. Most of the escapees were recaptured and Hitler ordered 50 of the to be executed. My grandad was one of the fortunate survivors. He died peacefully at 82 having known all his grandchildren

  2. Judith Higgins says:

    I am going to forward this to family, and ask whether our family has a story. I don’t know your grandmother, but I owe her.

  3. Margaret says:

    Charles Ewart was one of my ancestors and he took the French Colours at Waterloo.

  4. Ingrid Riedel says:

    Thank you, Jessica, to remind me that I am able to take strength from my mother who had to take care of four children under 6 years old in 1939. My father was in the army, fighting in the 2. WW. My older brother got diphtheria at age 7 and died in a hospital ward all alone in a city miles away from our home in East Prussia. Antibiotics were not available. I stand in amazement and awe, realizing that my parents had the strength and resilience to recover emotionally after the war years. My mother has been an example to me and my twin brothers until the end of her life. She reached age 86. My heart is filled with gratitude!

  5. Gloria Warrender says:

    I loved your story. My dad volunteer for the army. He went to Egypt. In the transport diversion. I loved hearing his stories which he didn’t share very often. He died at 98 he was s fabulous father.

  6. Neill Kennedy says:

    Great story. We(mom and 6 children) were there when we saw our father killed by a drunk driver in 1957. I was 12 yrs old. Very traumatic. Oldest brother (15) brain damaged. Mother brought us up with very little help and NEVER, repeat
    NEVER, complained.
    I heard on the day of her funeral 35yrs later that she had written to the driver of the car to forgive him. Last year I heard that she had also written to his wife(who was not in the car) because she was concerned about how she was feeling. It was HER choice. WHAT does it take to do that? I am in awe of what she did. It brings me to tears that i did not have the wisdom to appreciate what she had done.
    I am a former scientist but have evolved some techniques to resolve issues such as PTSD quickly. Perhaps one of the reasons I am really good at such work is because of my mum. Bless her and my dad.
    In working with people I have evolved a very simple body rocking technique . Its a VERY powerful tool and can be used on people of all ages to reduce stress and anxiety.Great for children and pets. I intend to do a video for Utube in the near future.

  7. LENA S ADAMS says:

    Jessica,

    Thank you for the beautiful reminder that we are the survivors of ancestors that left us with strength to overcome the trials that life often presents to us. I have a brick that was left where my grandmother’s house once stood. I keep it on my bookcase as a reminder of her strength and kindness. My family is strong today because of her love and caring. She was born into slavery. She indeed “overcame.”

  8. Connie says:

    I wrote a comment about my grandmothers name.
    I realised that the word DAD is missing out of the sentence My dad was picked up to work in a factory in Germany

  9. Connie says:

    My name, as it was my grandmothers name. I feel very blessed to have been named after her and we had a strong relationship.
    She died when she was 92 and I was 25. She meant the world to me.
    She survived 2 world wars. Lost 2 children at young age. Struggled to make ends meet. My granddad was a cabinet maker. The war scarred him severely emotionally and he withdrew and became quite deaf. They had 4 children left. My was picked up to go work in a factory in Germany when he was 19 years old in second war.
    I never heard a word of complaint from my grandmother.
    Her Christian faith was solid. She was a widow for 21 years.
    I am blessed to be named after her as I will have it for life.
    She was Dutch. I am sure that with her name I also got her strength.
    It was all I asked to get from her when I sat with her when she was in a coma after a severe stroke

  10. Annemarie says:

    Beautiful, thank you.
    Yes I come from a strong family, my grandfather was a powerful leader in the resistant movement in Denmark( which was taken over my Germany), against the Germany’s in the second world war; he was picked up very early in the morning by the Gestabo and taken to prison for than later to be taken to a concentration camp….he survived one year in a prison and Denmark was Freed from the Germans just before he was sent off to the camp.

  11. Barbara Butcher says:

    Hi Jessica
    I want to tell you about Little Ted. I guess he is my “fork”.
    My dad’s dad was killed in the First World War when dad was 7. When the Second World War came my dad went away for essential war work here in England. He came home on leave always thankful that mum and I were safe although we could hear the bombs.
    I never knew fear as my parents were always cheerful in front of me.
    Years after the war I was invited to visit friends in Thailand to help me through a difficult time and a few days before this big adventure a package arrived and inside was Little Ted with a notice round his neck ..”to keep you safe” ..from my dear dad.
    Mum and dad passed away some years ago but Ted has been with me in all
    my travels and now I am an old lady he sleeps on my pillow and I remember the kindness of my ancestors and go to sleep with their love around me.
    Thank you Jessica and love from me and Little Ted in England.

  12. Pat says:

    Thank you for all the sharing. I think of how brave my grandmother was; during WW1 she and my mom, who was one year old, traveled to America by ship. All the passengers were sick and one of the ships they were traveling with was sunk. The good news is that my grandfather was already here; had a job and a place for them to live. God bless America, the land that I love.

  13. Johanne says:

    Good call on saving the fork. I also think about my father a lot during this pandemic. He was a prisoner of war during the second world war. Very little to eat and far from any comfort. While this is not pleasant to go through, we are stuffing our faces in the safety of our warm homes… so yeah, we got this, lets all be thankful for all those who paved the way and all those who are working so hard for us and our safety right now. Loads and loads of LOVE ❤️❤️❤️???

  14. Kathy Boyle says:

    Jessica, I feel uplifted after reading your story and the wonderful comments. Your grandmother sounds like a real trooper. Blessings to you and your brothers.

  15. Barbara Johnston says:

    My dad’s two sisters died within two days of each other, 19 and 21 years old, during the 1918 Spanish flue. My grandparents owned a farm in Alliston, Ontario and they brought a Dr. up from Toronto to diagnose the family. He told my grandparents they would most likely lose the little nine year old boy, my father, but the two girls would live, but it was the opposite. I can’t imagine what my grandparents went through losing two daughters within a day of each other but I look back and think of the strength and faith they had to still carry on and give the three remaining boys a good life. I also have a fork that was part of the cutlery in my other great-grandparents’ hotel in Huddersfield and now I am going to get it out to remind me of your lovely story. Thank you.

  16. Mary says:

    Thank you, thank you! This came just when my spirits were at a very low ebb. I love the Tapping Solution app and use it daily. This was extra nice though because we could see your smiling face and feel your good energy ! Sending healing prayers for your friend??

  17. Lynn McClurg says:

    For much of my life I saw my father as a stern feisty man until I realized that he could never have survived turning 15 in Mexico with Pershing chasing Ponca Viea and had his 17th birthday in the trenches in France during WWI without being the stern feisty man he was.

  18. Nancy says:

    Thank you Jessica. You are great

  19. Nancy says:

    Thank you Jessica. Always enjoy your stories

  20. Adie Muench says:

    Thank you for sharing Jessica. You and your brother are an inspiration especially during these times of uncertainty and uncharted waters. Thank you for the comforting Tapping sessions and many Blessings to you and your family.

  21. Arlene says:

    Jessica thank you so much for your story. I grew up Jewish and had a Nana on my mother’s side and a grandma on my father’s side. My Nana was 5 when she and her parents arrived in America from Russia in search of the freedom to worship as Jews. Some of the things they brought with them were a Russian samovar (a vessel dispensing wine or tea) and candlesticks that we’re used to usher in the Shabbas on Friday nights. Nana would always tell me stories of the “old country”. On my grandma’s side, her family paid a young man to bring her to America when she was 16 to pursue life as a Jew and made him promise if they survived the trip, to marry her and take care of her for the rest of her life. They survived, married, raised 3 children and eventually had 5 grandchildren. That is the stock I came from. Adventurers who risked everything in pursuit of religious freedom. They were all heroic, courageous, positive, generous, kind, loving people who made the best out of every situation they found themselves in. The samovar and the candlesticks sit on my mantle as a reminder of the pride I feel when I think about my grandparents giving up everything they knew for what they believed in. I just hope I can lead my family by the same example and that some day my grandchildren are as proud of their heritage as I am.

  22. Anna says:

    Thank you for your lovely story Jessica.
    My GM was a senior in college in 1918 when she got the Spanish flu and spent the rest of the year quarantined in the infirmary – she lived to be 103 ❤️.

  23. Rita says:

    Hello Jessica!
    Thank you so much for your beautiful story. I didn’t know my grandparents but I feel I had them through stories like yours. Be well
    Much love
    Rita

  24. Alice says:

    Hi Jessica
    I can so resonate with your story. My grandmother (Gaga) lost her husband to illness when he was 49. My Mom was only 4 and this was a very poor time for people living in rural Newfoundland. I keep her pin (brooch) close by to remind me of my roots. It’s a very cheap cameo with one rhinestone missing but I do treasure it. Thank you for sharing your story. You are so full of love. I can even feel it virtually.
    Alice❤️

  25. Chris says:

    Loved your story.DuringWW2 my dad was in the British Army, he was sent abroad and didn’t come home for 4.5 years.
    No one knew how long the war was going to last, thank goodness .
    the uncertainty of the Coronavirus is bad but can’t imagine how anyone, my mum included, could have coped if they had known in advance!!
    Tap with you regularly.

  26. Lin says:

    Thanks and blessings to the Ortner family for their videos and tapping community during this time. While we pray and hope big during this time, let us also be aware, this virus is a monster that knows no age. So please use social distancing diligently at this time. Wash, wash, wash and disinfect! If you are a member of the vulnerable population, love from a distance (virtual hug!). Stay Safe. Every day, find at least one thing to make you laugh or smile.

    My grandparents came to Canada from the Ukraine over a century ago. They escaped the atrocity in their homeland to arrive on “safe” land to find abuses here even by protective authority. If anyone was treated as “less than” it was the immigrants. That was the time. It’s what was acceptable. What makes your heart and head sick today was the norm a century ago. The stories that were told by my grandparents and parents were similar to struggles that we see on Hollywood screens of immigrants and their families and, eventually, what (dys)function was passed to the next generation as a result. They lived on the prairies in houses made of sod with -40 degree winds whipping across the land, for gosh sake! They had to survive that to build the land. And they did.

    From them, I think I got humility and fortitude. I have learned, over the years, hope and gratitude help strengthen that backbone that my grandparents gave me. Each generation strives to build a better world from lessons learned.
    Let’s do that now, shall we.

    Love to all. (from a safe 6 feet, 2 metres, of course)

  27. Paquita says:

    Both my parents survived two world wars and the Spanish flue

  28. Carolyn Bruna says:

    Inspiring story. Thank you, Jessica. Wishing good health for all of us. Carolyn

  29. Janet Cobb says:

    I agree with your advice that we look for and focus on positive things but I disagree with your statement that the number of corona cases will rise because of more testing. The other major cause of the big increase in cases if the indisputable fact that the American government waited much too long to take the situation seriously and act responsibly.

  30. Kim says:

    As always, Jess, your storytelling is on point. Well done. Thank you for sharing this story. The tapping I’ve been listening to most lately has been the An instant boost of Courage. The work you and your brothers are doing for the world is a powerful gift to humanity. So appreciative of your persistence and commitment. And oh my goodness, the joy and smiles that Always comes through. Sending love to you, your family, your friend and all who love him.

  31. mithrani mahadeva says:

    Thanks Jessica for sharing your story..I too was always close to My Grandparents..what strength and Love they shared in their life and for their community . I am Blessed to have heard all their stories

  32. Gay says:

    That was one of the best reminders to us all of our strength and powerful choices! Your grandmother couldn’t know what a wonderful purpose she would serve through her granddaughter’s sharing her story.
    Thank you, Jessica!

  33. Ulrike Senicourt says:

    THis was GREAT Jessica !!

    INdeed when i think of my grandma , she was a farmerswife with a big farm; Grandpa was in the war , she had 3 girls and her Dad was just killed by a bomba few days before. The farm was near a railroad and 30 Bombs were dropped , all 20 cows burnt in their shed , she ran into the barn under fire to detach the last one and then she fled with her 3 girls and the only cow left to her sister and her husband ; And there.. they had the greatest of times, because the american officers who landed some days later had the greatest christmas ever with them; a horribly ugly CHristmastree she still laughs about, and swingdance and chewinggum and nylons, and the following months were just the best time my mom had in her entire ife.. and my grandpa came home a year later .. Life is a challenge and it is meant to be ;

  34. Margaret says:

    Thank you for the video Jessica. I have found the extra Tapping meditation so useful during this difficult time and I enjoyed your story about your Grandma’s fork. I will look for something to use in a similar way. Very simple but so powerful – thank you.

  35. Marilyn Komulainen says:

    My mother was two generations away from me. She was brought up during the depression. Times then we’re waiting in food lines. For fun they played kick the can. Even now we have so much more. Blessed.

  36. Nick Hely Hutchinson says:

    During WWII my Hungarian grandparents made their house available to the international Red Cross. It was raided by the Russians in search of Jews. A few were hidden there, but not found – and during the search, my grandparents and their two children, one of them my then 10yr old mother, were placed against a wall at gun point.

  37. Louise says:

    Hi there

    Many thanks for keeping in touch but the last few videos including this one have not shown up on your website page when I click the link in your email to this page. After it says ” Watch the video below to find out…” there is a massive white space below this until reading ” Until next time…”. I don’t have any problems with other sites, with videos, etc so not sure what is going on? 🙂

    Sincerely and keep well
    Louise (from UK)

    • Hi Louise! When we embed videos from Facebook, sometimes the personal settings in your browser may prevent them from being seen. You can change your settings or try a different browser to view the video. 🙂

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