DOLLY PARTON IS WOMENSHINE’S SPIRIT ANIMAL
The Incomparable Dolly Parton
Sometimes it takes a loss for us to have a realization in life. And several weeks ago, all of us lost an incredible person, and literally, almost the entire world has been mourning her deeply. I’m of course talking about the incomparable Dolly Parton. Whether or not you like country music, or thought her style was over the top, most of us could agree that she was a truly one of a kind, good person. Now, I knew that. But it wasn’t until she passed, and I went down the rabbit hole of articles and tributes that I fully realized the scope of what she had done for others throughout her life. From raising her younger siblings after their parents passed, to creating her Imagination Library in honor of her father who could not read, and sending more than 300 million books to children around the world, to helping those impacted by natural disasters, to openly accepting people who were different from her, I could go on and on. And you’ve probably read a lot about her impact, too.
How many of you were devastated to learn that Dolly had passed? And how many of you were surprised and caught off guard by the level of your sadness? I was. I’d always liked her, I grew up in the south and I liked her music, and her duets with Kenny Rogers. And in more recent years, I had followed her on social media and seen the things she was doing and been impressed by her heart for others. But when I learned she had passed, it was almost like losing a close friend. And it floored me. And I am not alone in this – so many of you and people all over the world feel this way.
Dolly Holds up a children’s book in Wilmington, Delaware, 2022.
Why? How has the passing of one person that we didn’t even know united millions of us in significant grief? I think it’s because of this: HOPE. Everything that Dolly did – whether it was creating her own charities, donating to other causes, speaking out on behalf of those who did not have a voice or have been ostracized in society, all of it was rooted in HOPE. Dolly had HOPE that her donations and philanthropic efforts would help those who needed that assistance. She had HOPE that using her platform to speak openly in support of people in marginalized communities would help them be more accepted in society in general. And HOPE that all of it would encourage the rest of us to step up and do the same. She had HOPE, and she transferred that to us with her actions.
THAT’S why we are grieving her so hard – not just because of who she was, but because of the HOPE she gave us for a better world.
And here’s the other thing about that. That HOPE that she gave us came from something even bigger – LOVE. Everything that Dolly did for others came from a place of LOVE. True, unconditional, accepting love of others. Her generosity was for everyone, period. No catches, no strings attached. Love does not get more pure than that. So as she brought us hope, she gave us love. And the world desperately needs that.
Photograph by Irving Penn, Condé Nast
As I was thinking of all of this over the last few weeks, I had a realization that makes me very happy -- Dolly Parton is WomenShine’s Spirit Animal. She did what she could, with the means that she had, and the time that she had, to help others. That is what we do with WomenShine. We are busy women, with big hearts, who do what we can in the context of our own lives, to help our community. And we do it with love. And in the process, we come together and support and encourage each other, much like Dolly encouraged all of us.
I like to think that if Dolly had known about WomenShine, she would have loved it. And now that she is gone, it is up to all of us to continue her legacy of Hope and Love, by doing what we can for others. So that is what we will continue to do with WomenShine – we will get together once a month for a couple of hours, help our community, uplift each other, and put love and hope out into the world. If that sounds good to you, I hope you will join us.
You can join as a member for just $10 per month, or you can come to our Meetups whenever you can and pay $10 at the door. Either way, I hope you’ll be part of our community. The more awesome caring women we have coming together and Using our Power to Brighten the World, the better off all of us, our city, and our world will be. Thank you to everyone for your support. And thank you, Dolly, for everything.❤️