Musings upon receipt of the news, on 25 August 2026, that our beloved Dolly Parton had passed away.
She never shied away from speaking into injustice and instead poured money back into her home community, looked after her employees with good wages and their children’s education paid for. Her IMAGINATION LIBRARY was quietly founded in 1995 and she had books mailed to families every month for children 0 - 5 years so that reading became an early influence for them and any barriers were taken out so they had access to books. Thirty years of book giving to children as just one of her achievements behind the stage.
She stood against cruelty and racism and inequality and built a life in tribute to the opposite. A life that revealed exactly who she was, where her heart and values lay, as visible as her talent and looks, and a life guided by principles of faith and persistence.
Musings about her entrepreneurial smarts in retaining all her writing credits for all her life, notwithstanding tempting offers in the early days from the likes of Elvis.
Seeing clips of Dolly with her Goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, and the fun they had creating together, singing and doing ‘their’ thing together. Her death took me to places of memory of my own Goddaughter, Lexie, who we lost almost two years ago. The dreams I had of watching her talent grow and ideas we had of writing books together. The loss of her and the loss of all I thought, we thought we’d collaborate on until the day it was me that grew old snd went first. It has cut deep to see the bond of her and Miley over so many years, sharing their gifts and sharing their lives.
So as the world who knew Dolly mourns her death, may it trigger a flame within, an invitation to live as fully self-expressed as you can, to speak into your truth and values without fear or favour, to seek out your purpose and your gifts and to refine them to put out into the world, your world, unapologetically and with an honest sense of humour amd joy.
She came from nothing so she worked hard at choosing it all, by choosing happiness and determination ever when people will judge or seek to shame you.
Dolly - Thank you. I will always love you.
From corporate lawyer to full time writer, Julia Mathison, in this 15 MIN EP, explores how powerful a light, one person can be in this world when fully tapped in to their talents and fully present to their worth and their values.
She capably wore so many hats and never compromised on kindness and compassion of word or deed. The world has lost the kind of light it currently needs.
Always a personal musing, featuring personal preferences, with a desired message to be kind, follow your hearts direction and accept the calling of your innate gifts.
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