Dolly Parton: Her Life As A Blessing

“I get judged for being a dumb blond but I know I’m not stupid and I am for sure not blonde.”

Dolly Parton passed this week and the internet is flooded with people remembering her goodness, humor, song writing and singing, philanthropy, her passion for social justice, and accepting ourselves and each other.

Barack Obama's statement traced her whole arc: born in a one-room cabin, she went on to earn eleven Grammys and an Emmy, build a business empire, help millions of kids learn to read, and help accelerate research toward the Moderna COVID vaccine.

Tributes came from across industries, genres, and generations, with everyday people filling social media with stories of how her generosity or her songs had touched their own lives. On my Instagram, I noticed people from many sub-cultures shared how she affected them and their cause.

“It’s not my place to judge people. I just try to love everyone.”

Dolly was a friend and outspoken ally to the 2SLGBTQ+ community for decades, long before it was acceptable. Melissa Etheridge said Parton was such an inspiration to her about being yourself, and that you can only imagine how many lives she's saved. I saw an interview clip where she said if she had been born a man, she would have been a drag queen.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park posted that her spirit would forever flutter through the Smokies, and that her music, generosity, and deep connection to the mountains would always be remembered.

“Her death is uniting tributes from the Trump White House, honky-tonks across the conservative South, and gay bars, all at once — something almost no other public figure could pull off in this political moment.”

Imagination Library

The idea came from her father and started in her home county in Tennessee. The program has now gifted more than 300 million books and mails to roughly 2.2 to 3.2 million children a month across the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia. In the US alone, close to one in seven children under five now gets a book from Dolly every month.

Being Yourself

"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." She encouraged people through her personal example to be themselves and not be so influenced by what others think. "I always had a very open mind and a very open heart. I always look for the good in everybody and the God in everybody. I play to that. And I just love people. I love the difference in people. I love getting to know people."

How Are You Inspired by Dolly?

"You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try."

"I'm just so proud to have been a part of anything that's good and that's making life a little better for people."

Reflecting on her life, courage, and the light she brought, I feel blessed to have known and enjoyed Dolly’s presence here on earth. Once, long ago, I got to see her live in concert.

Dolly inspires us to be true to ourselves and good to each other. Her life is a blessing.