By reporter Steven Smalley
It started inauspiciously at first. Offerings of fruit and other food items appeared at the feet of a Buddhist statue located in the flowerbed of a Magnolia home. The statue, originally brought to the U.S. by the shipping captain father of the homeowner, is the depiction of Guanyin, the east Asian deity of mercy. The Buddhist goddess, associated with compassion, is also revered by Chinese Taoists as an immortal, according to Taoism.com.? The sculpture has sat in the same Magnolia garden for the last 15 years.
Originally, it was merely meant as a yard decoration and homage to the family patriarch. A simple yard ornament for more than a decade has transformed into, seemingly, a place of worship, much to the apprehension of the homeowners.
?It was brought over to America either from Taiwan or Japan by my late father in the mid-60s,? reveals Alan Hollinger, a practicing Buddhist along with his wife, Lanna. ?I put it in the front yard next to the spruce tree. I figured it would bring us some good luck.?
Not only are fruit and other food now left behind ? such as a box of Larry the Cable Guy Corn Muffin Mix ? messages on plastic placards are also placed on the grass. Friendly missives that read, ?Sunshine, laughter, and friends are always welcome,? and ?Friends are the flowers of the gardens of life,? sit on the ground next to orange oval plates that extend to visitors well wishes for a good life.
?The first time I felt good about it,? explains Lanna, a native of Thailand. ?I?m curious to know where [the visitor] comes from. Maybe China??
Then the offerings, messages, and plates began to accumulate. Once-a-week stops are common.
?We are at a loss knowing what to do with all of the stuff that?s left.
It?s sort of piling up,? Alan says. ?It?s been going on for a couple of months now.?
Mr. & Mrs. Hollinger accept these gestures with the kindness in which they are intended ? as long as it doesn?t get out of hand.
?There?s something a little bit creepy about it.? Alan offered. ?Our daughter has seen what seems to be an elderly Asian gentleman come up to the Guanyin. At this point, it?s all we know.?
It?s okay if he comes again. I just want him to clean up the previous offerings. It?s messy,? Lanna says.
Finally, Alan tells Magnolia Voice he hopes this doesn?t turn into something big.
?If it?s one or two individuals, that?s fine. If it expands, we don?t know what we?re going to do,? he says.