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