As the world grieves the loss of Dolly Parton and celebrates the incredible light she brought to so many, I pulled out these old pictures from 1st and 2nd grade—and I’m still amazed that this was my life back in the day in Nashville, TN.
My friend Catherine’s dad was Dolly Parton’s agent at the time, which somehow resulted in not one, but TWO birthday parties with Dolly!
The first was at Catherine’s house, when Dolly herself walked through the door carrying the birthday cake. Dolly Parton. At a first-grade birthday party.
And then the next year? Somehow, we topped that. We got to go to Dolly’s house for a pool party! Yes, really.
Looking back at these pictures all these years later, I’m struck by what an incredible gift those memories were. We were just 6 and 7 years old—completely unaware of how extraordinary this all was.
And yet, as much as I remember the excitement and the absolute magic of it all, what stands out even more now is Dolly’s kindness. She had every reason to be larger than life, but she took the time to make a few little girls feel special.
What a legacy she leaves behind. Dolly’s life reminds us to love people well, to bring joy wherever we can, and to never underestimate the light we can bring into someone else’s life.
So grateful for these sweet memories—and for the gift of having witnessed a little bit of Dolly’s light up close. 
/and a lovely photo Katherine shared this week too:
In this life we struggle when all we have to do
Is push aside the rubble, let the light shine through
Why do we wait? Let's place our faith much higher on the list
Acknowledging the fact there are angels in our midst
Angels in our midst
Angels all around us, sent from heaven's shores
They are sent to guide us and help us open doors
And amidst the rush and turmoil and chances that we've missed
We should know therе's always hope
There's angеls in our midst
Oh
Peace be still to know that if we listen close
We will find the answers to what we need the most
And in every rose and rainbow, in every child we kiss
His presence is apparent
There's angels in our midst
Angels all around us, sent from heaven's shores
They are there to guide us and help us open doors
And if we'd live open-handed instead of make fists
Hands down, we'd win the battle
There's angels in our midst
No comments:
Post a Comment