However, March rolled around and those panels had never gone on display. I don't know why. There was no explanation and no communication on the matter. When I went looking for them, I discovered that the panels were in a storage closet for the last two months. It was time to go to my go to guy.
I wasn't an art diva about the situation, no matter the temptation. I just called my go to guy. And, at my church, my go to guy is the head pastor. When he got on the phone I said, "Can you do something to get the S.N.A.C. mural put on display so these young people can get some recognition? It's been over two months and they haven't even seen the finished mural!" That was all that was needed to be said. My go to guy was shocked.
"It'll be up this Sunday," my pastor promised.
On Saturday night, I got a text from my pastor. "Can you come to both church services tomorrow if I want to have you on the platform for a moment?"
I replied, "I will be there, blushing."
There really was no blushing. I don't get stage fright. There was a lot that I could have said if given half the chance. I wasn't. Announcements have to be fast on a Sunday morning, so the pastor did all the talking. I was allowed one sentence to explain how my murals are paint-by-number, allowing me to work with people who speak Swahili, Albanian, or Russian sign language. There was so much more I wanted to say.
It didn't happen.
That tight schedule is for the 9:00 service that is recorded for radio that same day. The 11:00 service is less worried about time. So, when the pastor was done with me, I told him that I had one more thing to add. I said, "There are two people at church that wear a fedora hat. One is young, twenty-something, and handsome. The other is me. So, if you want to talk to me about the mural, just look for the hat." The pastor shook his head in disbelief. "Are you happy now?" he asked.
"Oh, yes!"
If you have to be on the platform for an announcement, you want to be remembered. That was not a problem. People had a good chuckle, and they looked for the hat after the service.
My S.N.A.C. people were thrilled to see their work on display. Family and friends gathered around to see their project. As usual, of course, everyone remembered what part of the mural they painted. So, they knew exactly what area to show their admirers. It was so very gratifying to see them so very thrilled.
If someone really took the time to talk to me about the project, I shared my secret in the mural design. Since it was mural 64, I hid that number in the art. Several people looked, but only a very few actually found it. Yes, it was very well hidden and I'm quite pleased about it. Whenever anyone gives up, I happily show them. (And then, it's just so obvious.) But, a few very stubborn admirers plan to look closely next week as well. I'm happy to let the curious suffer a little longer.
Finally, a couple of unexpected encounters happened after the service. Two families with special needs children showed up for a closer look. They wanted to see the mural, but they were more interested in talking to the man behind the project. They were so pleased that people with special needs were involved in the project. I don't think it was until this moment that I realized how something like this community project was so very important to a large number of people with a wide range of unique needs. Everyone, whether special needs or not, needs a moment to shine. And, my simple cartoons and paint-by-number mural had given my S.N.A.C. family a moment to get recognition and appreciation from a very large audience. They got to shine while my heart had a warm glow.