08/26/2026
Dolly has always just been there. Some of my very first memories include her. Momma used to take my brother and me to Dollywood. She might not have been there physically, but her loving presence was felt everywhere. One of my absolute favorite childhood memories is helping Mom decorate for Christmas with Dolly and Kenny’s Christmas album spinning in the tape player. To this day, it remains my favorite Christmas album.
My cousins and I used to dream up the most elaborate plans for how we were finally going to meet her. Every single time we went to Dollywood, we were constantly on the lookout, whispering excitedly “I wonder if Dolly is going to be here today?!”
While I learned a great deal of my work ethic from my mom and dad, you know who else shaped that part of me? Dolly. I learned early on to reach for the stars, and in her own special way, Dolly gave us all permission to do just that. She encouraged us to truly believe and be ourselves. Her faith is something I found to be deeply inspiring later in life. She was always a beacon of light, teaching us how to be better people by her very example. There is a Dolly song for when you’re feeling down, a Dolly song to lift you right back up, and countless songs that taught us about love. As she always lived with her heart wide open I am forever grateful for the footprint (or should I say high heel print) she left on this world.
I know she will always love us, and she will always be with us. She has her angel wings now, let her fly, oh, let her fly. I keep thinking about the joyful noise echoing through heaven as Dolly entered in. I don’t know who usually leads the choir up there, but I’d like to think Dolly is running it today.
