A Moment for Dolly

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 A Moment for Dolly


I know this blog is about domestic discipline, marriage, and the many things that go along with the life Hubby and I share. But today, I want to take a moment to recognize someone who has touched my life—and the lives of so many others—in ways that go far beyond music.


Yesterday, I cried all the way home from work.


I suppose part of me is still wondering how someone as wonderful as Dolly Parton could leave us. I know she was 80 years old, and I know none of us gets to stay forever, but some people seem so full of life and light that it is hard to imagine the world without them in it. Dolly was one of those people.


She left us with so much. Her music, her movies, her humor, and the memories that are attached to all of them. But Dolly was so much more than an entertainer. Her generosity reached people she would never meet. Her support of medical research helped contribute to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine—something that felt especially personal to me, because as a teacher, I was able to receive the vaccine early. And then there are the countless books she gave to children through her Imagination Library, helping encourage a love of reading and giving children opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.


That is what I think makes me the saddest today. Dolly didn't just entertain the world. She made it better.


I know many of you have probably seen a lot of tributes to her over the past 24 hours. I purposely didn't post anything yesterday. I wanted to sit with it for a little while. I wanted to watch some of the tributes, listen to what people had to say, and gather my own thoughts before trying to put them into words.


But there is one tribute I would challenge you to watch if you have never seen it. Go back twenty years to 2006, when Dolly was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. Watching people like Reba McEntire, Reese Witherspoon, and Shania Twain celebrate her is something special. You can see the love and admiration they had for her, and knowing what we know now makes it even more emotional. Dolly's own website remembers that evening as a celebration of her lifetime contribution to American culture—and what a contribution it truly was.





I think sometimes we get so used to having people like Dolly Parton around that we don't stop to think about what they mean to us until they're gone. She was always just there—singing, making us laugh, helping people, and reminding us that kindness and generosity can be just as powerful as talent.


My heart is broken, and I will miss her dearly.


Tonight, Hubby and I are going to sit down together and watch 9 to 5. Somehow, it feels like the right thing to do. I imagine we'll laugh, and I imagine I might cry a little more too.


Thank you, Dolly, for the music. Thank you for the laughter. Thank you for the books, the generosity, and the example you set for so many people.


You truly left the world a better place than you found it.


And I think that is about the greatest tribute anyone could ever receive.


Rest in peace, Dolly. You will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.


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