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Share an inspiring woman's story.
Share an inspiring woman's story.
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Lois Pisanelle-Sheeler

Mesquite, TX, United States

To the world, she was an ugly, skinny, quiet yet somewhat talented young woman. To herself, she was the sky, the power of womanhood itself years ahead of her time. Wished waited for the call to come telling her to get her ass moving for Washington – there was work to be done. It never came.
Lois Ann, therefore, kept voraciously reading in her bedroom window straining not to be the awkward that came with her birth to spill on her bedspread. “What have I told you?” Her mother would yell when it did inevitably. With God’s hand of mercy interceding, Lois was spared the switch and continued reading. Sometimes she was Honey West, private eye, or the wisecracking, sexy assistant to Steve Lord’s “Stony Burke.” She knew and felt and slept and cried in her sleep knowing none of it would ever be true. She was the gawky teen in the group of singers at church. “Practice what’s on the tape honey You’ll be great” Miss Lucy “Mama” Jones said to Lois that last Sunday night at church. Monday’s were for sweeping, then each following Tuesday, Lois would walk those skinny boxes to the bank at a town five miles away. For this, Deacon Smith paid her a whole $5 a week! Of course, she had her other chores to finish as well. Today the songbird rose in her throat with the magic of the song from Sunday. Lois didn’t know the song that Mama left on the recording, but as it always did, it popped alive in Lois’ mind and escaped her throat like a fledgling giraffe, trying with all its power to get sound to transnavigate that far. When at last it did, it came out like a squeaky bell ringing off key. But by the time Lois had practiced and everyone heard the sweet songbird it had become, people stopped their laboratory and listened with the Lord for a quick minute.
“His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me!
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watchessss – ME!” Lois had never in her life heard THAT kind of clapping for HER.
Eyes closed in prayer of praise & thanks, it no longer mattered what contest she entered, who coached her to land a recording contract, or what car she drove. What mattered is that her love of singing for her Lord — and the joy that it brought to those who heard it, was all that Lois cared about. Well, that and the words she heard as she walked onstage from Mama, ” don’t you lose that smile girl! The Lord work!”

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