Linda M. Potter the Erma Bombeck of Metaphysics.
Linda’s armchair comedic advice, on how to ask for and recognize ‘signs from God’ coined her humor as the Erma Bombeck of Metaphysics.
Where does Potter find ‘signs from God?’ Signs are everywhere . . . the laundry room, outside her living room window, at the movies, art museums, airports, highways, shopping malls, or occasionally, along a walking trail in the Rocky Mountain high country.
Linda’s freelance writing career spans thirty years, publishing several hundred articles (and one play). She’s a successful spiritual counselor, assisting clients with personal- and spiritual- growth. Linda speaks to audiences of all sizes.
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Vancouver, Friday Sept. 16th
Unity of Vancouver, Lower Level, 5840 Oak Street
Tickets $20, click here or at Banyen books
Special 2 for $25 at the door
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by Linda M Potter
In Case of Flood,
Climb to Higher Ground
Well, it seems there was this young woman who had been struggling with an endless string of life crises. Depressed and exhausted, she sought out a spiritual counselor for help. After listening to her client’s long and complex story of rejection, betrayal, disappointment and failure, the counselor calmed her down long enough to suggest that they spend some time in prayer before proceeding. The woman turned a ghostly shade of pale, bolted upright in her chair, clutched her hands to her chest, and exclaimed in horror, “Oh, no! Has it come to that?!”
When prayer becomes a last resort, rather than the first line of defense, we’re setting ourselves up for enough drama to sustain a multi-episode miniseries… with sequels. A heart-to-heart with our Higher Power early on can interrupt a downward spiral before it becomes a dark (and stormy) night of the soul.
I grew up in a house that had half of the living area below ground level, and in the Midwest that meant it was subject to flooding — and flood it did. The amount of flooding would vary from storm to storm, but virtually every heavy downpour turned our home into a sinking house boat.
My parents did everything they could to keep the water at bay, but nothing worked, and cloudy skies always put the entire family on red alert. At the first sight of a little water bubbling up through the drains in the basement floor, we all sprang into action, elevating furniture with stacks of bricks and hauling books, toys, and other irreplaceable “stuff” up the stairs to dry land.
Most of the time, there was just a few inches of water, and the only fallout from the passing storm was a disgusting, thin layer of mud blanketing the floor of the basement. But on those occasions when the water rose to canoeing depth, there was little we could do but huddle together on the staircase and watch helplessly as Barbie floated by clinging to the roof of her dream house, and GI Joe Action Sailor backstroked his way across the family room.
I never understood why, after the first flood season wiped out the new wicker couch with the Polynesian-inspired tiki-print cushions, toppled the artificial banana plant, and left the tropical fish to fend for themselves as their upended tank drifted away, my parents didn’t just sell the house and move someplace where we didn’t have to spend half our lives in crisis mode. My mother told us that Father knew best and he refused to move. She added that a little adversity was good for the soul, and we should resign ourselves to our soggy fate.
So, when storms gathered, my siblings who lived in the flood zone below would toss as much as they could into plastic laundry baskets that were strategically placed around the basement level to facilitate a speedy evacuation, and then make a mad dash up the stairs that led to the higher ground of the upper floor. There they would set up camp in the living room and sing Kumbaya until the flood waters receded.
Moving to higher ground in times of crisis just makes sense. Stormy days are part of the natural weather pattern and occasional heavy rain is to be expected; and unless you have ark making skills and your name happens to be Noah, hanging out in flood hazard zones can be… well… hazardous.
It’s easy to get so caught up in trying to tread water through one flood after another that it never occurs to us to simply get out of the riverbed and climb to higher ground before we go under for the third time. The higher we’re willing to climb, the safer we are (and the better the view).
Finding higher ground through prayer and meditation (however that looks for you) may require a major shift in consciousness, but remaining shift-less can leave us with more than just a sinking feeling. Ideally, we don’t build our spiritual homes in flood plains to begin with, but once the high waters overtake us, rushing into our living areas, there’s no time for “should haves;” we simply need to gather our most-valued possessions and begin the upward journey. The climb will be worth it.
Linda M. Potter is a licensed spiritual counselor, popular speaker, published author and the Managing Editor of BellaSpark magazine. Her book, If Only God Would Give Me a Sign! released in July of 2011.lindampotter@comcast.net, www.lindampotter.com.