Buttercup, pull up a chair, because I thought I would share a story that is full of family memories this morning. These memories are not the kind you find in a history book. These memories are the kind that live inside mine and David’s family. The stories that will be told for years tom come.

I know I’ve emntioned people I’ve admired in the past like Jelly Roll but Dolly Parton is always a woman I admired and loved. I remember listening to her when I was a little girl—not only in my parents’ home, but in our car and at my grandmother’s home.

For my family Dolly’s music was simply part of the soundtrack of growing up and along with the music came the stories. These were stories my family would tell about Dolly. They were stories from watching my mom and dad get dressed up for date night, heading out to Billy Bob’s to see Dolly Parton perform with Kenny Rogers my man and leaving me at home when they knew I needed to see Kenny Rogers.

Think about that for a minute. My parents getting dressed up and going out together. For a date-nite. Yes, my parents dated each other just as David and I do. Then going to see Dolly and Kenny. Those are the kinds of memories that stay with you.

Years later, when I think about Dolly, I don’t just think about the famous singer standing on a stage. I think about my mom and dad and Ithink about my grandmother and I think about family and I think about the people I loved who loved Dolly, too.

Then my daughter Suzzane came along. And somehow Dolly Parton’s music just kept going. My daughter could sing every one of Dolly’s songs from the time she was about three or four years old. Every one of them. And then came Charlie. He could do the same thing.

That’s the funny thing about music. You can think somebody isn’t listening. You can think they aren’t paying attention. And then suddenly a Dolly song comes on and they know every word or they at least pretend they know them even if they’re like me and can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

Those songs become part of the family without anybody really planning it. That’s how memories work. They sneak up on you. That is why more times than not I wake up to 9 to 5 playing inside my head as I head off to work.

Here is something you might not have thought about but when your #Homeschooling you can think outside the box and use things your family is interrested in. In both Charlie’s and Suzzane’s classes we’ve used Dolly Parton in homeschooling multiple times because there is simply so much to teach.

Kindness and faith and her love of the LORD. Reading and music. Writing. Business and entrepreneurship. Giving back. And, of course, the love of books. Along with music and how to become a bad-ass women business owner.

One of the things I most admire about Dolly was here Imagination Library. She didn’t just love books herself. She found a way to share that love of reading with children everywhere. That’s a lesson I want children to understand.

You don’t have to wait until you’re rich or famous to make a difference. You can start with what you have. You can share what you know. You can help one person. You can give one child a book. And sometimes one small thing grows into something much bigger than you ever imagined.

There is another part of Dolly’s story that has always meant something to me. My father-in-law and mother-in-law lived pretty close to where Dolly grew up. And their families knew the reality of the coal mines. My mother in law Sherry lost her dad in the coal mines.

So when I hear Dolly talk about her childhood and the struggles her family faced, it doesn’t feel like some distant story from another part of the country. There is a connection there and I think about the people in our own family.

I think about the sacrifices they made and I think about the lives they lived. And then I think about what Dolly did with where she came from. She never tried to erase it and she never pretended she came from somewhere else. She took those memories and turned them into songs, stories, books, businesses and opportunities for other people. That’s powerful.

And then there is Coat of Many Colors. I’ve talked about this song before, but I don’t think you can talk about Dolly Parton and family memories without coming back to it. Because Coat of Many Colors is about so much more than a coat.

It’s about a mother making something with love and it’s about a child understanding that something doesn’t have to be expensive to be priceless. It’s about being different and it’s about being poor. It’s about being loved and it’s about knowing where you came from.

Dolly was never afraid to show us who she was before she became famous. That’s one of the things I admire most about her. She could have rewritten her story. Instead, she told us the truth. And because she did, millions of people found pieces of their own families inside her story.

Then you look at what Dolly has done for Tennessee. You look at the amusement park, Dollywood, and the other things she has helped create, and there is something special about being able to take your family somewhere and see a little piece of Dolly’s world.

That’s amazing to me because you can listen to her music and you can read her books. You can watch her movies and you can learn from her life. And then you can actually take your family to a place that grew from her dreams and her love for where she came from.

That’s the kind of legacy I understand. Not just a name on a building. A place where families make memories. Because eventually, that’s what everything comes down to. Memories not only of our faqmily but the people who’ve touched our lives.

I thought I would share something about Doll you might not know. Dolly has written books. She’s written songs and she’s made movies. She’s built businesses and she’s created opportunities. She’s given children books. She’s shared her faith and she’s encouraged people to dream. And somehow all of those things keep coming back to one thing: Storytelling.

That’s what makes Dolly’s work so special to me. She tells stories and stories connect generations. My parents listened to Dolly. I listened to Dolly and my daughter listened to Dolly. Charlie listened to Dolly. And somewhere along the way, those songs became part of all of our memories. That’s a pretty incredible thing for one woman to accomplish.

If there is one thing I want young ladies to take away from Dolly Parton’s life, it is this: Don’t give up on your dreams because of where you came from. You may not have much money and you may not live in the right neighborhood.

You may not have the right connections and you may have people tell you that your dreams are too big. Dream anyway. Dolly did. She came from a large family and humble beginnings and she didn’t let that decide where she would end up.

She put one foot in front of the other. Then another. And another. And she kept going. That’s what I want young women to understand. You don’t have to become Dolly Parton. You just have to become the best version of yourself.

Be kind. Have faith. Learn. Read. Work. Dream. Give back. And don’t be ashamed of where you started. Because where you start isn’t necessarily where you finish. if you put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.

Dolly Parton is one of the people behind my families memories and that’s why I love writing about Dolly Parton. Because when I write about her, I’m really writing about so much more. I’m writing about my parents and I’m writing about my grandmother.

I’m writing about my daughter and I’m writing about Charlie. I’m writing about my in-laws and David. I’m writing about the people who sat in cars listening to music and I’m writing about date nights. I’m writing about movies and I’m writing about books.

I’m writing about homeschooling and I’m writing about faith. I’m writing about the people who helped shape who I am. And maybe that’s what Dolly has given all of us. A reason to remember. A song that takes us back.

A movie that reminds us of somebody and abook that reminds us of a child. A place that reminds us of a family trip and a story that reminds us where we came from. And sometimes, that’s the greatest gift of all isn’t it?

So when I say I’m grateful, thankful and blessed to be able to share these stories with you, I mean it. Because I get to take the memories that live inside my heart and put them somewhere you can read the it means the world to me..

And then I get to ask you to do something in return. Tell me yours. What Dolly Parton song reminds you of your mother? Did your dad love Dolly? Did you ever see her in concert? Did you grow up watching her movies? Did you read one of her books with your child? Did Coat of Many Colors make you think about your own family?

Maybe you have a story about Dollywood. Maybe you have a story about Kenny Rogers. Maybe you simply remember hearing Dolly on the radio while riding in the car with somebody you loved. Whatever your memory is, I want to hear it.

Because Dolly Parton may have written the songs. But we are the ones who made them memories. And those memories are worth remembering. Which is why I’m Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed to have had a part of Dolly in my life.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates