08/26/2026
Dolly Parton was just one of those people who wasn’t supposed to die. She was supposed to be here forever. Maybe because, for so many of us, Dolly represented something that feels increasingly rare in this world, simple, genuine goodness.
She was giving. She was kind. She was wickedly funny. She cared about the least among us. She believed children deserved books and opportunities, families deserved help when they were hurting, and people deserved to be loved for exactly who they were. She put books into the hands of millions of children, including children who might never otherwise have known what it felt like to have a book arrive with their own name on it.
She loved her community fiercely, but her compassion never stopped at the Tennessee state line. She welcomed people. She included people. She stood beside LGBTQ people when others wouldn’t. She had this remarkable way of making almost everyone feel like there was room for them at her table.
And somehow she did all of that while never losing her humor, her humility or that wonderful ability to laugh at herself.
So how do we move forward in a world without Dolly Parton? I really don’t know. Maybe the only thing we can do is try to be a little more like her. Give a little more. Judge those who are different a little less. Help somebody who needs it. Put a book in a child’s hands. Make somebody laugh. Stand beside the person who feels like nobody else will. Love people a little more freely.And every once in a while, wear something with rhinestones on it just because it makes you happy.
My heart hurts today. But I think if there is one thing worth carrying forward from Dolly’s life, it is this, We should all just try to be better. A little kinder. A little more generous. A little more accepting. A little more willing to take care of one another.
And maybe, for the rest of my life, every time I see a butterfly, I’ll think of her.
I think she’d be okay with that.
Rest well, Dolly. Thank you for leaving this world so much better than you found it.
