04/09/2026
I never saw Dolly Parton in person, but I saw the world she grew up in. Children walked barefooted in the snow, slept in dirt-floor cabins, and wore clothes sewn from gunny sacks. That's not an exaggeration. Ms. Parton's life is perhaps one of the greatest examples of human bravery, decency, kindness, honor, goodness, and the willingness to persevere through sickness and even death, to never fail, never flinch, and still be charitable to a fault and entertain the entire world.
Her voice will always be here. Few have it. It seems magical. It's the kind we associate with angels. It rang like crystal when she sang. Or for that matter, when she spoke. But it is not only her voice that is with us; she has given us the example of the light bearer, one that casts away darkness and helps others smile and each morning rises with the sun.
