"Only in Iola" Kickoff Celebration Includes Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell as Featured Poet

[Third in a 3-part series]

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams fly, life is a broken wing bird that cannot fly.” ~~ Langston Hughes, “Dreams,” 1923

On Saturday, May 4, another in a previously unimagined series of dreams came true for octogenarian poet, Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell, on Main Street in Iola, Texas, some 85 years after her serendipitous arrival in town, as an adopted 3-year-old, chosen by a woman who worked hard to give the little one a good home and much love that would last her a lifetime.

Often, we have no idea what our choices today can mean 20, 40, or even 80 years from now. That one gift of love has been regenerated thousands of times ever since that day.

“Home” for Ms. Mary Lee began in Iola, a town of 330 in Texas’ scenic Brazos Valley, sort of halfway in between Dallas and Houston, if you navigate a few curvy farm-to-market roads.

Her mother bought the local hotel and ran it and the restaurant, and Mary Lee loved being there until she was a young adult who left home to marry at age 17. Through the years, she’d still find time to come back and visit.

Currently, the recent widow is a resident in a Bryan nursing community, having moved from North Zulch where her favorite church there still maintains a vital presence in her daily and weekly prayer life through the kindnesses and thoughtfulness of its membership.

As you’re already aware, today Ms. Mary Lee is a published poet and author with two volumes to her credit, thanks to her team of friends and admirers from Sand Prairie Baptist Church. Before the event, Ms. Mary Lee was joined by beloved friends Beth Ganza, Marcia Odom, Sherrie Magness and Richard Ward (photographer) at Mallett Bros. BBQ for the special occasion.

The gentle notoriety and delightful affirmations Ms. Mary Lee received at a special occasion at the church in 2022 were sufficient to last forever, but thanks to Ms. Betty Sue Wooderson Moore, who grew up in Iola, she mentioned to Shanalee and show producer Tammy Corwin, of WMP Multi-Media Network, that they really needed to meet Ms. Mary Lee as one of Iola’s true gems among their history.

That meeting took place in April, 2024, and Shanalee interviewed her on camera, providing thoughtful questions and allowing generous time for responses. Others interviewed in that same time frame —The Matriarchs—include Robin Trant Johnson of Rubye Jewels; Laura Parunak Cole of Crazy Horse Upholstery (a former U.S. Army Apache pilot); Betty Sue Wooderson Moore, who spent every summer of her childhood growing up there; Rita Marie Marczewski, who was born in Chicago but was delighted to find Iola as quickly as she could; Rita’s daughter, Cheyenne Hyman, who has lived in Iola her entire 21 years so far; and of course, Ms. Mary Lee.

One chair was left empty for former Iola resident Nelda Mccollum, who Shanalee said took her under her wing and made her feel as though she’d always belonged at home in Iola. Mrs. Mccollum died before the show’s debut, so there was an empty chair on the set to keep her place there.

The kickoff party was held during magnificent (and sweltering) sunshiny breaks in a rainy weekend where flooded roads had receded sufficiently to allow traffic into and out of Iola exactly when it needed to be. Close to 100 people attended to meet the crew, husband and wife directors Jens and Nateila Delport and assistant director Jonathan Pietrykowski. Everyone came away with a signed poster and appreciative smiles.

That afternoon they showed clips of episode one, generating a sweet sense of gentle pride in their hometown that will endure long after 2024.

And then inside the Mercantile at Main Street Market, Shanalee invited attendees to gather around so that Ms. Mary Lee could recite one of her poems, “A Vision of My Heavenly Home,” which she says came to her in two segments two years apart, the first eight lines having been given her from the Lord in June 2017, and the final two lines came to her out of the blue in July 2018 (Vol. 2, pp. 19-20, “Down Through The Years in Poetry,” Vol. 2). You can enjoy that moment on this YouTube video.

It sounds simple to say, but the reality is knowing and trusting that a poem will become complete when you feel it truly is complete and to be able to wait 13 months for how it should end to arrive in front of you is a journey of faith on its own.

The concept of a Christian poet being able to proceed in faith to compose works that pay tribute to that person’s faith are special but not extraordinary. The story of Mary Lee Crocker Parnell’s life prior to her having her dream come true—to be a published author and poet—is absolutely astounding.

No part of Mary Lee’s early life and childhood would indicate she was bound for a weekend like this one. In fact, what she might expect, all things being equal, was an ordinary, calm life of slight routine. A happy life in fact, but nothing extraordinary. And yet, her faith in God is what made the difference.

People who seek to read works of faith are frequently searching for affirmation, encouragement, and inspiration to hold on and deepen one’s own spirituality, particularly in daily life challenges we encounter. Frequently in our daily pathway, when our progress is blocked or our route is detoured, despite our best efforts or intent, we search for writings that meet us where our pain and fear live.

Ms. Mary Lee’s words resonate so well with people who’ve had the chance to proceed, anchored in faith, and just need a bit of bolstering from time to time. And yet, this woman has, statistically speaking, so many personal disappointments and health challenges that no one should expect her standing up and moving forth to serve as a paragon of strength, and yet, here she is, as a beacon of faith.

We all know some senior citizens who can give you 12 fast examples of how they are experiencing pain, isolation, abandonment, fear, loss, or inconvenience as their body begins to rebel against their best intentions. It’s normal, natural, and to be expected to be aware of our losses. Maybe it’s how we take the chance to be uplifted when good things happen, to distinguish how today is better than yesterday or vice versa.

And then, there’s Ms. Mary Lee, whose trademark smile could light up a city block. When she sees you have come to visit her, there’s such an amazing countenance about her that bespeaks her appreciation for your taking the time from your schedule to be there with her.

She registers her delight with an adorable lilt in her voice as she exclaims her trademark phrase, “Oh, my goodness!” that brings an instant smile the moment you hear it.

For the kickoff event, Ms. Mary Lee was driven from Bryan to the event by longtime family friend Richard Ward (partially hidden behind the camera), who also brought Marcia Odom and Beth Ganza, dear friends from Sand Prairie Baptist Church and fellow church member Sherrie Magness drove over for the occasion. Ms. Mary Lee is a beloved octogenarian—and the Sharboneau family treated her with such beautiful grace and dignity that it was so heartwarming to witness.

One last thing to consider—for two days prior to the event and for at least another day following the kickoff, severe thunderstorm, flooded out, impassable roads, and accidents that rerouted several usual travel pathways ceased long enough for planes to arrive with out-of-town special guests among the show’s directorial and production team. And as if on cue, the sun broke through and dried things off and allowed event organizers to place sufficient plywood down to keep special guests and the crowd out of mud damage…only in Iola, right?

In the preview of the episode of “Only in Iola” in which she is slated to be included during Season 1, her episode is called “The Matriarchs.” A sneak preview, shown during the kickoff party special event, notes Ms. Mary Lee’s philosophy on aging gracefully and what and how she would like her legacy to be.

After just a moment’s thought, when Shanalee asked Ms. Mary Lee about what she would like to be remembered for or about, Ms. Mary Lee said, “I’m grateful I’m still here. I know Jesus and I’m going go my heavenly home one day when it is time. I love to help people and whatever I can do to help anyone, I want to do.”

Continuing, Ms. Mary Lee said, “People in nursing homes can get so lonely. I’ve always cared about people, and I see every day where people who live where I do can get so excited when someone comes to see them. The residents of nursing homes need people who love other people to come and visit them there.”

In concluding, one of the matriarchs of Iola had this to add: “One mission we have on Earth is to tell others about Jesus’ love for us and how he gave His life for our salvation, and that one day we will all be together in Heaven. That’s what I am trying to do in my poetry: share the good news.”

You can get copies of Ms. Mary Lee’s poems for yourself or others in person in Iola at both Rubye Jewels (7221 Main St.) and the Mercantile at Main Street Market (7216 Main Street), and if you’re out of town, the Mercantile is the exclusive sales outlet to order them by mail. For info, reach out to Dawn Link at MercantileMainSt.TX@gmail.com

The first episode of “Only in Iola” debuted on Thursday, May 4th (it’s available at any time that day on demand and then going forward).

"To watch the show on your Roku channel, show producers recommend the following steps from their Facebook page:

⁃ Search for "ONLY IN IOLA NETWORK on the Roku Channel Store.

- Add the channel to your Roku device.

- That's it! You're ready to catch all the action.

For added guidance see the a 2-step photo to aid in the Roku app search

If you’ve tried before to watch on your Amazon Fire Stick, and there was a glitch, show producers recommend the following steps from their Facebook page:

1. Uninstall the Only In Iola Channel from your Fire device.

2. Delete channel from your cloud.

3. Search Only in Iola and download the NEW channel that will show a date of May 10th.

4. Open channel and you will see the new navigation options. Episode 1 is in the season one section." [Info from the Facebook page for "Only in Iola."]

New episodes drop each Thursday; a second episode drops Thursday, May 16th. All episodes remain on the site in case you miss out on checking in on Thursdays.

Tune in and be uplifted. You’ll be glad you did. Congratulations and well done to the Sharboneau family for relocating to fulfill their goal to reprioritize their lives: God. Family. Texas.

Special thanks to Richard Ward for sharing his lovely photos of Ms. Mary Lee and her contingent of dear friends.

Related Posts:

"A Journey of Faith in Verse with Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell," click here.

"Dreams Come True: Ms. Mary Lee’s Book of Poems," click here.

Review of “Only in Iola” Delivers Quality Content with Gentle Humor, Destined to Build Audiences," click here.

“Only in Iola” Delivers Quality Content with Gentle Humor, Destined to Build Audiences

As promised, the “Only in Iola” channel launched its first episode of the series, “Ladies First” on the Roku and Amazon Fire Channels on time, this morning in fact. And I was one of those early viewers who didn’t want to waste a minute before beginning the 43-minute journey that would show the abrupt lifestyle change of the Sharboneau family from Austin’s hill country to Iola’s rural flatland beauty.

Those who live in the seven-counties that make up the Brazos Valley already know why people would choose simple country living as a stress-free alternative to keeping pace with what Houston society journalist Maxine Messinger used to call the “zum zum gang.” It’s all about what’s important to you, at the time, and father, Perry, announced his intention to lead his family into a scaled-down, less complex life. The benefits of slowing it down don’t need listing. It's always a smart move to take charge of who and what is in charge of your schedule.

What does need stating at the outset is that this family is serious about the changes they’ve made. Looks like they didn’t have a Plan B, nor where they just one boot (or Jimmy Choo stiletto) in—they were committed. It’s not "Green Acres"; it’s reality TV and every one of you who gets the eggs from the chickens in the morning or milks the cows, or who had to repair fence and retrieve errant livestock who knock down the gentle barriers between properties can relate.

Now, not everyone can call up and order a barndominium that’s two months on backorder and seemingly skip through the time delay, but you have to accept the benefits of power that come alongside prior business success. That said, every major decision in the family is made based on faith and every positive outcome is given thanks in what is a, for many, comfortable story of genuine faith.

The filming, angles, sound, and lighting are strong, and storytelling moves professionally, as good as or better than standard broadcast channel reality series, and far more interesting. The show has an official soundtrack, “Every Small Town,” by singer/songwriter Chris Chitsey (who is featured in episode 6 of Season 1, due to premiere Jun. 13, 2024).

Today’s season and show premiere is "Ladies First," subtly focused around Shanalee’s lesson to her son to always walk behind the woman rather than take off walking far ahead, leaving her in his wake. That is a charming, subtle look a parenting and what it takes to raise a man of impeccable manners, no matter where you call home.

Shanalee doesn’t mind getting dirty, literally, in her focus on finding the right look for country living. She’s slow to give up her beloved collection of dress shoes and functional wear (everywoman, anywhere) but she draws the line at destroying the Jimmy Choo’s. I might have considered donating the shoes to charity for a nonprofit but that’s not good TV. A flaming fire pit works better, every day. Bottom line is that the intro episode is your only chance, for now, to meet her, but the way I see it, you’re going to like and respect her immediately and want to get to know her better. Takes a woman of great humor to enter her new upgraded residence only to find two donkeys and three goats have already made themselves at home, much to her chagrin. She remains calm and calls for Brayden to redirect the errant livestock, which he does willingly.

Brayden is kind, intelligent, and has a path to travel that is still his to carve out, with many interesting opportunities around him. He’s a McAuliffe, as well, and has Irish Norse roots, hence his willingness to be a hunter. The cameras are something he seems successful at taking in stride but not every young teen would be up to the task. Early in the program at dinner with his parents and grandparents, he is perfectly comfortable and familiar with fine dining but his parents remind him to remove his earphones that allow him to engage with his phone, and to remember that in-person contact is primary, especially with family time.

Perry has the quintessential poker face in all dealings; he only had one tell that revealed his big heart—after Shanalee reached her tipping point on farm living, he whipped out his phone and made it happen because “Mama wants this” and then the voice of Capt. Picard comes lilting in with “Make it so.” Time will share more of his m.o. and decision style. He does win major hero points for being the one Shanalee asks to be in charge of mouse removal when one is discovered.

Merchandising and sponsorship and product placement are useful, wise, and respectful; taking care of the people who take care of you is a good policy every business day. What’s fun is that you can get your souvenir merch right now at the Mercantile at Main St. Market in Iola. Their store’s website is up and running here.

Of special note: Dawn Link at The Mercantile at Main St. Market is the exclusive Internet dealer for both of Ms. Mary Lee’s poetry books and they have them in stock but can also send (autographed copies) anywhere in the United States.

While you’re there, immerse yourself in some of the most wonderful surroundings that owner Dawn Link has created for you to enjoy and hope to find in a mercantile market. Then, walk across the street and see Robin Trant Johnson at her Rubye’s Jewels and get inspired to be creative because it’s all around you. Meet Laura Parunak Cole, who owns Crazy Horse Upholstery and see the artist at work—she’s amazing.

Hungry? Mallett Bros. BBQ is only steps away and legendary around these parts, so don’t miss it and get some to go if you can’t stay for lunch or dinner.

Finally, the credits at the end of the broadcast are both lengthy and generous, heartwarming to see as Shanalee has led the way in embracing Iola people as they have embraced the Sharboneau family and as the rest of the episodes drop, it will be worth going back each week to visit “new friends you haven’t met yet.”

Credit script writer/supervisor Shanalee Sharboneau for leading the show's preliminary launch on Roku and Amazon Fire, and prospects for additional outlets growing daily, for a first-class product and pulling it all together.

Rating: 5 stars.

Related Stories:

“A Journey of Faith in Verse with Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell”

"Dreams Come True: Ms. Mary Lee’s Book of Poems"

"Only in Iola" Kickoff Celebration Includes Ms. Mary Lee Cocker Parnell as Featured Poet"

Dreams Come True: Ms. Mary Lee’s Book of Poems

Part 2—A Published Author At Last [Second in a series]

Our dream journey as Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell continues in our plan to helping her realize her dream of becoming a published author and poet.

So many people dream of writing a book; and once it’s written, the dream is to be published. Yet, for many, it remains a dream, because the path is either convoluted or unknown to many and seems too complicated to attempt. We wanted to remove any obstacles and potential financial sources of worry, and the committee jumped into action.

That she had been waiting 36 years since writing her first poem at age 50, to just looking at a battered navy blue cardboard-covered coil binding of her life’s writings was not lost on us. The committee (Marcia Oden, dear church friend, on the left, Ms. Mary Lee’s niece, Joyce Coleman, on the right and me, behind the camera) was operating entirely independently of her knowledge to surprise her and keep her free of having to worry about financing.

The goal was to operate as a virtual nonprofit, with any funds available going back into printing more books, with the goal of sharing her message of faith in seeking God’s direction and having her prayers answered. No individual would profit personally, which makes it truly more special, thanks to the joy of giving time and talents to make an amazing lady’s dreams come true.

It might come as a surprise but Ms. Mary Lee, is legally blind, and has been for many years. The only way she can read is to use an ultra-high resolution device that gives her limited straight-ahead vision. A gift to all who know her, though, is that she never perceives herself as either blind, or impaired in any way.

In fact, when you look into her face, you see bright, dancing brown eyes, filled with a special light that reflect the spirit of faith that she has at all times around her like an aura. As you get to know her, through her poems, you will find that at any point in her journey so far, there have been sufficient setbacks, events, and losses that could easily justify an attitude of depression, and to be sure, some people have no problem finding that path when they reflect on where life’s circumstances have found them present-day.

Ms. Mary Lee is uniquely grateful for having the kind of handheld device that gives her that limited ability. It’s amazing to hear her, particularly when others younger than her have gone “on and on” about their health challenges, regaling anyone who will listen about their challenges and afflictions. Not Ms. Mary Lee: she is excited about a cutout plastic template that gives her the ability to sign her name and compose notes. Says, “The Society for the Blind is so wonderful! They found this for me so I can use it and work with it so my autographs are in a straight line!”

Ms. Mary Lee’s book did not need editing, but all the poems were handwritten in beautiful cursive style, with ink, on school notebook paper. Step one was to crank up the stereo and begin typing. Lest you think of this adorable woman as having lived a carefree life of nonstop joy, that’s not reality. Adopted as a child, Ms. Mary Lee was adopted and then raised by a single mother in rural Iola, Texas. Her mother bought the hotel and adjoining café there and that’s where they lived until she was 17 and left home to marry her first husband.

There were two loves in her life and she was fortunate to marry both of them, and she created a loving family, and yet, times were hard and she worked hard every day in places such as Amycel Mushroom plant and a chicken processing plant nearby there among many jobs she held.

Your first impression of how you’d feel about that work might not be one of joy, but in Ms. Mary Lee’s compendium, you’ll find poems of gratitude, thanking the Lord for her job there and all of the wonderful people she worked with and for.

She wrote poems of love to her family, to her beloved spouses, to the wonderful nurses and doctors who were caring for them and for her, and the genesis for all of her poetry is that she prayed to the Lord to give her a correct, right spirit in her heart. Clearly her prayers were answered, even if she didn’t write her first poem until she was 50 years old.

For publishing, the next step was to organize the poems into appropriate categories, the easiest step as specific themes emerged, and they took on a flow of their own. My next call to Rhonda, longtime friend and editing colleague, based in Rockport, TX, and she welcomed my request for formatting the manuscript for printing in a font and type size making it easy to read comfortably. Once the formatted...the book returned to Bryan, and it was time for cover design. A subcommittee met to discuss what would please Ms. Mary Lee to hold “her book” for the first time.

A Texas hill country scene seemed fitting, and Marcia said she thought a field of bluebonnets would be lovely as part of the design. Then, a crystal cross stationed in that field of bluebonnets and a true Texas sunset on the way seemed appropriate. Amber, a Bryan-based graphic designer and creative, made it happen. A final edit from me and then the journey to New Jersey and then we engaged the Book Baby team to prepare the book for printing.

Meanwhile, at home at Sand Prairie Baptist Church in North Zulch, where Ms. Mary Lee has been a longtime member, Marcia and Joyce coordinated a special event and book signing for Ms. Mary Lee (again she had no idea this was happening) and a target date was set for Sunday, June 12, 2022.

This project began on May 3, 2022, with the initial inquiry, it has to be something of a record that the books were delivered on June 7, 2022, and three of us (Marcia, Joyce, and I) traveled to the lovely nursing community where Ms. Mary Lee resides in Bryan to surprise her.

These photos are just a small indication of the sheer joy and surprise as she had no idea that she was about to have her dream come true—holding copies of her published poems in her hands. There was another miracle present in that all of that work, from w handwritten poems to finished volume in a calendar month, essentially, is unheard of in publishing circles. Every person involved in the process had been available instantly to fulfill their part in the process without any delay.

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On book-signing Sunday, June 12, 2022, a crowd filled the fellowship hall of Sand Prairie Baptist Church, where church members and friends who’d traveled to North Zulch for the event filled the place with great cheer. Ms. Mary Lee was absolutely delighted to see friends, a few of whom had driven over 200 miles to be there for her special day. Two hours later, our newly published poet was in a happy kind of reverie as she reflected on the surreal nature of the day. div class="separator" style="clear: both;">

As Christmas 2022 approached, we’d run out of books and ordered a new print run to fill new requests. Another surprise was around the corner when one Sunday morning in June 2023, Ms. Mary Lee excitedly told Marcia that she’d just discovered a small suitcase among things on a closet shelf. Turns out another 75 poems were unearthed, and they were not part of our previously published volume.

By March 27, 2024, the first run of Volume 2 of “Down Through the Years in Poetry” was delivered. Friends and fellow church members were almost as delighted as Ms. Mary Lee to have more poems of faith, family, and love of home that she captures so well. With titles including “God’s Final Call,” “Drifting Towards Heaven’s Open Door,” “Honors to you — The Red Zone Gang” and more, the words that flowed through the ink pen of Ms. Mary Lee are all a gift to her from God, she reminds us.

You might think that might be the end of the story, a quiet little run of joy and some reorders of some sweet octogenarian’s faith-based poems. And everyone lives happily ever after. But that was not to be the last words about Ms. Mary Lee or her poetry.

Enter the Sharboneau family and their moving vans coming over from Austin’s luxurious hills and heights to the rural flatland of the loving community of Iola to reprioritize their lives. And they were blessed on their journey to meet a perfect Texas troubadour along the road…only in Texas you might say. Actually, it’s “Only in Iola” that our story continues for Ms. Mary Lee. You’re going to want to watch this promising new original documentary series, which premieres today, May 9, and it is currently available on the channel on demand, running 43 minutes long.

Ms. Mary Lee, her life and her poetry are a key feature of the premiere episode, titled “The Matriarchs.” Her world became even more exciting when she and several of her friends from Sand Prairie Baptist Church were special guests for the “Only in Iola” launch party that took place on Saturday, May 4.

[Next up: Photos and story about the Sharboneau’s Grand Launch Party in our feature, “From Bryan to Iola with a small detour through Hollywood.”]

A Journey of Faith in Verse with Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell

[Extraordinary People Doing Amazing Things Series]

Today marks a two-year spiritual journey that began for me, unplanned and unaware, thanks to some dynamic women of Texas, all led in prayer to make the dreams of an 86-yr-old woman come true. This is one, of many, stories that focus on an inimitable source of joy, Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell. I am proud to be learning from several in her orbit who pioneered a path before me. With their faith, outlook, reliance on God, and their discipline to a positive attitude, they have much to teach me, and fortunately also the patience to hang in there with me until I model it comfortably.

The outcome is a spirit of gratitude and sense of awe at the “you’re not going to believe this,” but it is all true. For three years, I’d lamented the loss of a place of worship that had transfigured itself to the wishes of a powerful few. I had resigned membership in a denomination that had been home base for me for over 20 years. I searched for a new journey where I hoped I might use any relevant gifts and talents I might have for a higher power and a greater good, no labels required.

It was like any other morning. I’d parked my steaming cup of coffee on my desk, scrolling through the morning e-mail batches, I discovered one from my longtime friend and colleague, Ann (also my neighbor two blocks over), referring to me an inquiry in case I had time and interest. Generally, it was helping a woman get her collection of poems published as a book.

I’d been doing this kind of work for 15 years, so I read on. The e-mail she forwarded was from Maia Joy, a seasoned author and composer in her own right who lives in Virginia. She’d searched an online database of Texas professional editors and found Ann living in the same zip code as the poet. It was Maia’s mom, Marcia, from North Zulch, who had been telling her daughter about this amazing woman and her poetry, urging, “Other people must read what Ms. Mary Lee has written. It is truly special and will be a blessing to others.” Did Ann have time and room in her schedule to take on the project? Ann was already booked up, but she offered to refer me and forwarded the e-mail.

I asked Maia for more details; that afternoon I was on the phone with Marcia. She shared that on an earlier Sunday morning in 2022, she had joined her pewmate, Ms. Mary Lee Crocker Parnell, who had arrived at Sand Prairie Baptist Church with a 1-inch worn coil-bound book with at least 100 poems. Ms. Mary Lee confided in Marcia how she had truly longed for her poems to be bound and published. Marcia casually thumbed through them and was inspired to want to help her friend realize her dream. Without indicating her next step, Marcia reached out to her daughter.

We agreed to meet the following week in Normangee, TX. From North Zulch, TX, to Virginia, to Bryan, down two blocks, on up to Normangee, and back to Bryan, the worn blue binding holding Ms. Mary Lee’s precious poems had at last arrived.

Our 86-year-old poet, Marcia shared, had not written one poem in her life until the age of 50. She said the Lord gave her each of these poems and instructed her to memorize them all because there might come a day when she could not see them to read them without a large, complex reading aide. That day would ultimately arrive.

One by one, her beautiful classic handwritten poems showcased her memories in verse. One poem was of gratitude for her mother, another for her son, and yet another was for her job at a rural mushroom process plant, a most repugnant odor follows you everywhere. Imagine the level of humility with which a woman of genuine grace and appreciation for all of God’s blessings writes a tribute to her boss in a mushroom factory?

That lunch and discussion with Marcia was truly inspirational, and immediately I agreed that it would be my new publishing project. It is the beginning of the beautiful story and what has now become a fellowship of at least four women who are united in sharing good news, faith, and beautiful, uplifting verse to inspire others to hold onto their faith, especially when they least have anything left to give, or so they think. Even if you wait 36 years, never give up on your dreams. We decided to keep our endeavor a surprise from Ms. Mary Lee until we could hand her a finished book to have and hold.

Today our country celebrates a National Day of Prayer. No matter your denomination—if you belong to one—it is refreshing to join with strangers in prayer to a higher power, to give thanks for the blessings we have or to ask for guidance and support as we set forth to create and meet goals that may promise success but guarantee taking a chance and possibly upsetting status quo.

[Next up: The journey continues with Ms. Mary Lee and her manuscript as “Down Through the Years in Poetry” becomes a reality.