Sentimental Buddha statue disappears, returns

When Crystal Ray Silva's Buddha statue disappeared from the front yard of her Monroe home last September, she was heartbroken, stunned and a little perplexed.

She was even more perplexed last Wednesday, when she discovered that the Buddha was back. Sometime during the night on Tuesday, June 23, the Buddha statue silently returned to its Powell Street perch, just as mysteriously as it disappeared.

"Never did I dream that the Buddha would find its way back,GÇ¥ Silva said. "Never in a million years.GÇ¥

A sentimental item, Silva acquired the Buddha statue from her parents' dairy farm in the nearby Tualco Valley after her mother's death. She is unsure as to what it was about the Buddha that drew her, but something about it felt right. Once she got the Buddha home, her daughter helped her settle the statue so that it quietly looked out over Powell Street.

It seemed like it belonged there.-á

About a week later, when Silva walked out onto the sidewalk, she noticed that somebody had left the Buddha an offering. From that point on, people began leaving items for the Buddha on a regular basis. Silva would walk outside to discover things like candy bars, food, jewelry, flowers, cupcakes and even money.

"There would be just all kinds of things, but I always left them. I didn't take anything,GÇ¥ Silva said. "If somebody else needed it or whatever, they could come by and take it. I just never gave it a whole lot of thought.GÇ¥

The unassuming objet d'art sat serenely in Silva's Powell Street front yard for five years before it vanished last fall without a trace. Silva had been in the hospital recovering from a surgery, and when she returned home, the Buddha was gone. Its disappearance was exceptionally bewildering to Silva when she considered the statue's weight. While relatively small in stature, roughly 19-by-16-inches, the Buddha is made out of solid concrete and would have been cumbersome and difficult to transport.

Nobody seemed to know what happened to the Buddha, and no one was able to provide information as to who might have taken it. Silva filed a police report and spread word of its disappearance on social media but had little hope that the statue would ever be returned. She crafted a small wooden sign to let concerned residents know that the statue had been stolen, not just transferred to another section of her yard.

To her surprise, people began leaving offerings yet again. She was even more surprised when residents of the neighborhood came forward to let her know how much they missed the Buddha statue. It turned out that many folks found comfort in the graceful figure.-á

"One ornamental statue became something more. It grew into being an icon,GÇ¥ Silva said. "It wasn't like it affected just me, it affected the whole neighborhood.GÇ¥

During the 10 months that it was gone, Silva made several attempts to replace the statue, but her efforts usually proved fruitless. For whatever reason, it was never meant to be.

Now that the Buddha has returned, Silva plans to implement a few precautionary measures to prevent it from getting taken again.

She is grateful to have the cherished family heirloom back and is thankful that so many people actively hoped for its safe return.

"I'm happy to hear it's back. It brings me great joy,GÇ¥ said Jonny Covello, who used to live in the area. "I never left anything, but it was a wonderful thing to see on my walks when I lived on Powell.GÇ¥

To Silva, a Christian, the Buddha isn't about one religion or another. It's about the positive energy of those who have found comfort in the tranquil family treasure.

"I still truly believe that the energy people put into the Buddha has given it an aura of beauty and life,GÇ¥ Silva said. "He has grown from being a piece of cold cement into having warmth and charisma.GÇ¥

"If the Buddha can come home, anything can happen,GÇ¥ she added.