Hand Crafted by Cowboy Glenn in Summer of 2006

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Living in Clarksville, Maryland for the past 35+ years on a major Highway like Route 108 has given us many stories to recall. Some are funny, some are sad but it is the people that you always remember.

We met Cowboy Glenn in the Summer of 2005. He is a local “hero” and everyone knew him except us. We hired ole Cowboy to remove a large stand of unruly, intimidating, aggressive bamboos. He assured me it would be no problem and began with the job at hand. My loving husband, ole Smiling Bear, was away on a guys fishing trip. This much needed “clean–up” was to be a surprise from me to him.

While enjoying our lunch one afternoon at the Medicine Wheel, I did a little sketch of an angel on a napkin. Cowboy picked it up and laughed out loud. I was shocked. How dare he laugh at my idea of a “road angel”? Then I began to tell him about the song I’d heard earlier that spring at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Maryland. They had recently opened and hosted a singer named Zoe Mulford who sang like an Irish lassie. She sang a song about a shrine on a highway and the song was entitled “Our Lady of the Highways” Zoe wrote and recorded this song on an album called Roadside Saints.

This information about Zoe and all she sings and writes about just came to me by “accident.” I’m taking yoga at Blueberry Gardens and just happened to ask if anyone remembered that rainy, stormy nite.

The owner, Deborah loaned me the album and it is the catalyst I’ve been waiting for to write this newest saga for Sanctuary4u.net.

I hope you enjoy the story.

After Cowboy finished the clearing of the land with love and respect and a big ole Bobcat, our friendship grew quickly. He is an artist and just was waiting to help me “do my thing”. I’m a glass artist and was always thinking of doing something on glass, mosaic, fused glass, stained glass chips but it just didn’t happen.

Smiling Bear had shown Cowboy around the land and Cowboy spotted an old, huge, thick, perfect piece of oak just sitting in the barn. I’d gotten it 25 years ago from a building that was being demolished.

The wood was ‘gifted’ to Cowboy and off he went slowly down Rt. 108.

Next morning, I’m preparing for a Reiki session and Cowboy calls and says, “Hey darlin, come over now, I want you to see something”. I said I was too busy but he insisted and so I went. Upon opening my truck door, there she was laying on the ground in three beautiful, magnificent pieces of wood. The wings, walnut wood, had been on Cowboy’s land in a barn just resting and waiting to be “useful” for over a hundred years.

When I saw her I puckered up my lips and started to cry. Cowboy, being somewhat of a ladies’ man in his day, inquired if that was indeed a “good”cry or a “bad” cry. I smiled and he knew the answer.

There she was, so simple, so easy and so beautiful.

Normally, at Sanctuary, “things” take time to come into fruition. With ole Cowboy in charge the next day she was being hoisted up into the 250 year old remains of a famous box elder maple now lovingly referred to as The Tingan Tree in our yard. Smiling Bear and I were elated. She was perfect as the photos will show.

Soon after, I realized she was not the “road angel” I’d anticipated. I intended to put her right on a telephone/utility pole on Rt. 108. I was talked out of that idea quickly by the State Highway crew and friends who agreed that folks drive far too fast to even notice her while racing up and down Rt. 108 at speeds of 50 mph plus.

Sadly, I agreed.

By Fall, word had spread throughout Clarksville about the angel at Sanctuary. I came home one day to find an elderly lady from South America sitting on a bench with her rosary praying to the angel. At night, cars would pull into the driveway and take a photo once in a while. Her healing stories began to grow. She seemed to love the attention.

At night we would put a spot light on her just in case her true purpose of helping folks to “slow down” on the highway would prove helpful and prevent an accident.

Then, just last year the ole box elder dropped yet another of her major limbs. The angel fell to the ground; she was on the broken limb. She was in sad shape. Broken in many places, sadness all around.

We picked her up and stacked the broken pieces in the cellar. Bear assured all of us that he could fix her.

Time passed. Then Great Spirit moved ole Bear into action. It was a long, slow, tedious process but he persevered. Gluing, bracing, supporting and loving as he worked she began to be “reborn”. Thanks to Smiling Bear’s past life work as Aristotle, he knew exactly what and how to repair her as well as her spirit.

Once again she is near the Tingan tree. This time resting on Mother Earth and having twinkle lights to bring our attention to her true life purpose. Slow down and live in the Now.

Stop by and see her for yourself. She loves visitors and flowers!