Was the Lady the Virgin Mary?  What I am about to tell you happened 6 or 7 years ago, I have hesitated to tell the story, but I do believe I now have an obligation to do so. 

I was driving towards Glasgow Mt, heading west, when I saw something that startled me. It was the face of a beautiful woman smiling down at me. It was a beautiful face looking down at me from the clouds; the look on her face was total contentment and peace and extreme beauty. I looked for my camera!!! No camera.

I looked back up into the clouds and saw her again and the expression was still clear, it was then that I saw the Dragon.  The Lady's face was above a Dragon.  The beautiful face was many times larger than the Dragon and she seemed unconcerned about it.  It was as though she just wanted to show me that it existed.   Then the face softly disappeared as the clouds making up the backdrop of her face started to disintegrate.

I watched the huge cloud fade away until nothing remained, only blues sky. The Dragon below remained very clear and was made up of a dark black cloud that stretched many miles, ten or more, the tail probably stretched way past St. Marie 16 miles to the North. The Dragon was well defined and very distinct in shape, with head and four legs in exact proportions.

This all happened within a few miles as I drove on. The Dragon appeared to be just a soft harmless black cloud as I got nearer to it, it kept its shape completely and did not change at all.

Additional observations and thoughts:

1. The Dragon was facing to my left, south away from St. Marie; I do not think this is very significant.

2. I think there is significance to the fact that the first thing I saw was a beautiful woman's face smiling contently down at me; she was very bright eyed and a bit amused; I did not think clouds because there was total detail to her expression!!! What was the significance, her bright eyes and expression seemed very personal, I am sure she was speaking to me, communicating to me, a love and understanding with a message of approval and encouragement and that there is nothing to fear – but it was much more than that, she was Motherly and knowing, she was joy and happiness, it was contentment, it was total goodness, it was feminine beauty – it was a message of many things one of which is - "all is well and pleased approval," which I guess translates into "do not be afraid."  I just wrote "do not be afraid", but that was not it, it was the feminine version, which is deeper and has feminine love attached, as talking to a child, but she knew I was not a child, "all is well, I am pleased with you" - you can add "do not be afraid" to it if you like, but the expression was much softer than that and it went deeper.  One reason I feel obligated to tell the story is that I am sure she feels this way about all of us at all ages who through our efforts and struggles get a skinned knee and need love and encouragement.  The skinned knee hurt, she acknowledged that and also the tear that followed, she was knowingly amused and lovingly understanding and encouraging continuance - "all is well."

3. When I first tried to imagine the significance of this event, I thought that the Lady was squashing the dragon; but that was not the case. I believe the beautiful lady was just presenting that the Dragon exists but not something that you need to fear.

4. Why did she come? I do not know

5. What else could it be except the Virgin Mary?  I want to believe it was the Virgin Mary, but what if it was the expression was to a little boy who was struggling, hurt, tears, going forward.  She was unknown to him, although she was giving approval etc.  This applies to all who are on a journey with purpose, we are frustrated, we are torn up with hurt and frustration, but going forward with purpose.

6. I am sure this applies to most of us. Everyone needs to get on the journey and all will be well, the dragon is harmless.  After my wife died, "the most beautiful girl in the world," I was searching and read something that had a personal meaning to me and it helped change my life, it was this simple line, "the exciting and daring search for God" - my, how wonderful and exciting is that – and daring, as you step out into the deep.

7. Also, there was not a bit of a trace of the clouds that made up Mary left, I watched them slowly and softly disappear. Those clouds moments before dominated and ten to twenty times larger than the dragon which was very large, but small in comparison. I would guess that Mary's face was tens of thousands of feet high. The face had more sparkle and beauty than any human face and had so much life and love in the expression; personal concern and wanting to give approval and encouragement and assurance to her thin little child who was getting beat up but struggling forward. I really cannot put it into words how beautiful and approving she was and so encouraging and loving in a personal way; I believe she is that way with all who continue to struggle, get knocked down and get back up with a bloody little knee or a black eye.  What I saw was personal to me; I believe I knew that the approval was there and to continue on but this seemed more than just personal, it was "Godly Personal."

8. Maybe if I had seen the face and expression I have described in an instant or so, I could say it was a flash in my imagination, but the cloud behind the face was huge and I watched it disappear slowly and completely, nothing remained; that is something that does not happen in nature. The Dragon stayed and kept its exact shape, neither of these happen in nature.

I know this is not just about me, I want no personal attention from this or anything else that I do, I want to be left alone and be a contemplative and do religious art, I have no ego that needs attention.  I feel I have a responsibility to continue my mission, thirty years ago Judy and I took on the impossible task of building a beautify community based on Christian values here and named it St. Marie.  We were totally successful, the black cloud stopped it; now twenty years later the black cloud is still seeming to roar and every imaginable roadblock has occurred.  So what do we do when this happens; well we say with confidence and a knowing, that the dragoon has been defeated, but still present.  The final results are up to the one who put the face in the clouds and who before that defeated the dragoon, just continue the fight with confidence of approval and love.   

Why did she appear to me?  I do not know why she appeared or the full meaning of what I saw.  But, I know that what I saw was real and I believe it applies to all and especially to those who struggle, go back and read my feeble attempt to describe the total Love and Approval that was expressed by that beautiful face - it was for you and me and all who struggle through the roadblocks and troubles of everyday life keeping our eye on our final destination.  I also believe that she represented our Guardian Angel, each of us one looking out for us with grace, encouragement and Love.

Sincerely, Pat