The Jesus and Mary Tour Continues in New York

When there's a personal appearance by Jesus or Mary, our cameras are always there:

MILTON — The figure in the bark appeared about four months ago.

Donna Pascariello poured coffee that October morning and looked through her back window, hoping to see a deer or a fox or maybe a squirrel through the fog. She saw the figure in the bark. Was it Jesus Christ?

Pascariello and her husband, Frank, moved to 62 Lyons Lane 22 years ago after Frank bought the land from his uncle. Two New York City kids, Donna and Frank ran into each other in July 1975 at the Marlboro IGA while visiting their families for the summer. They married two months, to the day, from that meeting.

In the years that followed, three generations of Pascariellos have tromped through the lot behind their home. A picnic table waits for warmer weather and family gatherings. Donna and Frank's three teenagers build bonfires in the summer and hang out with friends where Donna can keep an eye on them. And, among the gnarled remains of a previous farmer's apple orchard, an old cottonwood has grown wide at the base.

Ten, maybe 15, people have seen the light-colored outline at the bottom of the tree, Donna and Frank say. They ask each, What do you see?

"I don't put it in their head, like, 'Do you want to see something that looks like Christ?'" Donna says.

One person saw a saint. Others have split between Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The light makes a difference. Donna says it's most obvious between noon and 2 p.m. when the sunlight hits the tree full on. Other times, the figure shifts a little, but it remains, Donna and Frank say.

And my favorite quote from the story:

"It just kind of brings us back to our roots," Donna says.

Or, perhaps, our trunks.