Hee Haw. It’s been a long time since I thought of that corny country music comedy show that Dolly Parton often appeared on as a guest artist. But within minutes of hearing that beloved Dolly Parton, aka Saint Dolly, had passed away, my social media feeds and text messages were blowing up with shared memories of loving Dolly.
(Cover image credit: Kara Renee Art Apparently I am not the only one who called Dolly a saint. Search “Saint Dolly.” Incredible art!)
Watching Hee Haw as a little girl in the ‘70s and singing to the lyrics of Jolene and I Will Always Love You at my grandma’s house are my first, very fond memories of Dolly. My cousin Michelle and I would sit on our grandma’s couch listening to Dolly Parton albums.
We thought it was very cool when an album folded out and included the song lyrics. Sometimes we peacefully belted out the lyrics to a Dolly song, and other times we would tug that album cover back and forth, vying for more territory to see the lyrics better. Occasionally, our tugging resulted in a hair-pulling episode over who held the album cover the longest, or so our cousin Kim reports.
I have often shared my love for Dolly on social media. I admire her advocacy for education and literacy, as well as her generous book donations through Imagination Library. I admire her acceptance of self and others. She is known for saying, “I am comfortable in my own skin… I know who I am and I don’t try to be nobody else” and “I think everybody has the right to be who they are.” She used her voice to speak out for LGBTQ issues, Black Lives Matters, and Covid vaccinations.
A touching, more recent Dolly memory was from the 2019 Grammy Awards, when she performed her newest song, “Red Shoes,” from the Dumplin‘ movie soundtrack. I share the original reflection below.
Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote, “For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self.”
Dolly shined her light in life, finding her purpose, living authentically and encouraging others to do the same. Her light will perpetually shine in the lives she influenced. I will always love Dolly, and all she stood for. Rest in peace, good and faithful servant.
My friend, Colleen, loved red shoes. But I didn’t know this about her until her Aunt Bea shared a story at her funeral.
What a silly thing to say at a funeral, but for “some reason” I told Bea that I loved the beautiful red shoes she had on. Sometimes things fly out of my mouth without any consideration to how they might sound—and today was no exception. But, of course, there was a reason.
Aunt Bea immediately connected the shoes to Colleen. Just a few months earlier, Colleen had borrowed those red shoes on an evening when she and her sisters were going out dancing, something they loved to do together. Aunt Bea commented how much Colleen loved to dance; telling us that Colleen believed when you dance you have to wear high-heeled shoes. It was a nice story of when Colleen was joyful and doing what she loved most—dancing. There is comfort in storytelling and remembering.
There was lots of storytelling that day. I had only known Colleen a few years, so it was wonderful to hear about the growing-up Colleen. One of Colleen’s former high school classmates shared how Colleen always did the craziest things—that she loved to wear wild hats and she insisted on wearing red shoes with her First Communion dress when she was just a young child. Seriously, red shoes?!!
This seemed no coincidence to me that I heard two stories from two different people about Colleen loving red shoes. Of course, my first thought was of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and how it was her red shoes that got her home. This became a wonderful image for me to remember Colleen by—she was at home now, dancing with joy in her red shoes! It was a special treat, sometime later that our friend, Joyce, and I saw that First Communion photo at her parent’s home—rows of little girls in white dresses and white shoes, and Colleen in red. I love so much that her mother, Charlotte, let her wear those red shoes.
The red shoes stories are little miracles to me—touch points for remembering Colleen.
Knowing Colleen felt like a miracle from the moment we met (at a silent meditation retreat…but, oh my, could we talk up a storm!) but these divine coincidences continue to happen even 14 years after her passing. They come in dreams or conversations, images or stories—Colleen is ever-present.
Today is Colleen’s birthday. It’s also the same day as the Feast of St. Scholastica, which is a whole ‘nother story.
Every year on Colleen’s birthday, I share some of that story in a blog post. My mind, heart, and spirit are especially with Colleen this day, remembering. I get a message from Jeff, her husband, who shares one of the last photos of her when her hair was long. He remembers too. There are happy and sad tears, as music from the Grammy Awards plays in the background. And then…
This song came on—Red Shoes by Dolly Parton.
“I remember as a child / I was absolutely wild / ‘Bout some red shoes that my aunt Lucy wore / She would let me stomp around / In those high heels up and down / ‘Round the house and ’round the wraparound porch
And from that moment on / I’ve had a pair of my own / They make me feel at home and brand new / They build my confidence / As if they’ve been heaven sent / I feel alone, I’m puttin’ on my red shoes
I believe that every child
Needs to feel a sense of pride
And someone to love and guide and see them through
So many miles I’ve traveled
Many times they’ve come unraveled
On the road both smooth or gravel
But I’ve made it through, ooh
And if God sees fit to hold me / Anyone that’s ever known me
Know I’d walk the gold streets only / In a pair of red shoes
Colleen continues to bring her light in the world through little miracles….
and how can I not believe that she is dancing for joy on streets of gold in her red shoes…and so is Dolly!
Being Benedictine 
Leave a comment