Give Thanks...Share Your Talents

 Today, as I waited for the second hour of church to end and choir practice to start, I circled the Relief Society room that doubles as the Stake Center's baptismal room. The room is similar to others with framed artwork lining the walls.

I noticed a piece on one wall, on the north side. It wasn't the subject of colorful flowers in a vase that caught my attention, but the plague underneath. A plaque is there to draw attention to something. It tells the viewer there is something special with this specific work of art.

I walked over, read the engraved plaque.

The plaque worked. It caught my attention, drew me in, and gave me information that I would otherwise not have known.

This particular piece was created and donated by Hazel Rogers Call to the Relief Society of the Garland II Ward. Since I'm relatively new to the area, I have no idea who Hazel Rogers Call is, but the beauty of the situation is I don't need to know anything about her to have the artwork tell its story.

What I do know about her is that she was a giving person. The plaque doesn't tell me if Hazel actually created the artwork...I'm guessing she did. If she's the artist, then it's even more personal. If she didn't, well, she at least gave something to the building she didn't have to give. A selfless act.

Through the large church original paintings and copies of famous artwork hang in rooms and along hallways. They're all special, but for a certain piece hanging in the Garland Stake Center Relief Society, Sister Call's donation means a little bit more.

I'm grateful for Hazel for sharing her talents, be it creating or donating or both. Thanks, Hazel, for the gift.

Happened Upon Main Street Mercantile In Tremonton Today...Lovely

"Can we stop at that little shop on the way home?" my wife asked as we drove to the grocery store for supplies. It was technically a question, but I thought it would be fun, so not stopping wasn't really an option. We had the time and it was such a beautiful day to be out and about.

After fetching the necessities at the grocery store, we pulled up to the storefront on Tremonton's Main Street. We looked at the time--they close at 2pm. "It's 2:55pm," I said as we both glanced at the clock in Donk The Subaru's dashboard. "Isn't that clock an hour fast?" my wife asked. She was, of course, correct. I have yet to adjust for Daylight Savings. We only had a few minutes to check to check out the place.

We could have used more time.

Tremonton's Main Street Mercantile is, in a word...

Lovely.

It's the kind of place that doesn't overwhelm the senses, but more of a cozy shop that grows more amazing as you take time to get a good look at the items, see them for what they are, appreciate the craftsmanship that went in to building, creating, and assembling the various things. It's a consignment shop for local and non-local artists. It's like the sign outside says, Just Like Etsy, But In Real Life.

 We wanted to honor the shop's hours of operation, so we didn't stay very long. Both my wife and I left thinking of things we could create to add to their inventory. It was a joy to walk inside the little shop and am glad people out there are willing to take the risk and put themselves out there with their art, all in an effort to make the world a better place. Well done, and thanks to those behind Main Street Mercantile for taking a risk as well.

...and I hope they don't mind I lifted two pictures from their Facebook business page for this post. ;)