“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
- Dolly Parton
I certainly want to acknowledge the loss of a national treasure, Dolly Parton. It seemed like she had always been with us and would always be, didn't it? Somehow as long as Dolly was in the world, it felt like there was hope for humanity. I did to me, anyway. She's the only person in public life that I've never heard anything bad said about. There were no scandals, no controversies, no shocking headlines, no rumors. Wherever she went, she brought happiness. Everybody loved Dolly.
I was first aware of her when she was on The Porter Wagoner Show back in the late 1960s. I was just a kid. We'd watch the show on Saturday evenings. I didn't have much use for Porter but Dolly and her big bouffant was a total charmer. You could tell even then in her early 20s she had something special.
She took that something special out into the world and made it a better place. She wrote and made great music, she acted in memorable movies, she was an astute businesswoman, a philanthropist and a humanitarian. Her Imagination Library Foundation has given out over 300 million books to children to help promote literacy.
She lived in the spotlight but also fiercely guarded her private life. She was a serious person who never seemed to take herself too seriously, always quick to poke fun at herself. A lesson for all of us.
Rest in peace, Dolly. You lived a beautiful life. You were the best of us.