On to Alaska

By Michael Avery, featuring Lin Buer,
from Seven Signs from the Universe

When Lin Buer received word that she’d been offered a Human Resources Manager position at a hotel/restaurant in Talkeetna, Alaska, she was living in Kansas with her husband, Bruce. Such a long move would take some planning as well as some inspired packing. But, finally, they were ready.

Then, unexpectedly, their departure was delayed two days due to a massive snowstorm in mid-November that closed the Interstate across the plains. The snowstorm left little wiggle room to get to Bellingham, Washington, in time to catch the ferry. They breathed a sigh of relief when I–80 opened back up, and they could, at last, set out for their future in Alaska.

Not far into their trip, in the early morning sunlight, they noticed a mature bald eagle flying over a field of winter wheat. “This was not unusual for this time of the year, but there was something different about the eagle,” Lin recalls. “He had a good-sized hole in his wing, but this didn’t prevent him from flying.”

Traffic on I–80 was very heavy due to the recent closure, and cars were moving rapidly at 80 miles-per-hour. Their old Buick was in the pack, heavily laden with a clamshell carrier on top. To their surprise and dismay, in Western Nebraska, their Buick all-of-a-sudden began to slow down. Lin panicked and called over to Bruce asking what she should do. He told her to put the car in third gear, but the car continued to slow down. Bruce then advised Lin to move onto the shoulder and continue driving in second gear, if possible.

The Buers took the next exit, but found themselves in gridlock when they reached the exit ramp. While they were stopped on the ramp, they decided to inwardly ask Divine Spirit for guidance. The gridlock lasted about fifteen min- utes. During that time, Bruce inwardly viewed the image of the eagle they had seen earlier with the hole in its wing. He told Lin to pull back onto the freeway using third gear. Bruce realized that neither the eagle nor their car were in perfect condition, but Divine Spirit was giving them the go-ahead anyway.

Lin and Bruce drove on to Bellingham in third gear and arrived in time to catch the ferry bound for Haines, Alaska. Bruce laughed. “We drove our old Buick all the way to Alaska in third gear. In fact, we drove it that way for another year after that.”

Lin remembers how the waking dream of the eagle inspired them to move forward undaunted. “We can thank the eagle with the hole in its wing for helping us solve our problem that day,” she said. “We received a memorable waking dream and a valuable lesson as well. We’re grateful for the experience.”