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.
Being Benedictine 