I thought I would share another reason I love Dolly Parton if you want to hear a story this morning. Buttercup, pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage ands listen because now I’m going to tell you one of the biggest reasons I love Dolly Parton.

It’s her Imagination Library. And this one isn’t just something I admire about Dolly. This story is personal and it’s about Charlie and my family and no, we never meet Dolly but that didn’t stop us from connecting in a different way.

When Charlie was little, he received books from Dolly and her Impanation Library. For my family those books were a Godsend. We were a one-income family. We still are. And there were times when buying brand-new books for my son simply wasn’t something I could afford.

But I was adamant that Charlie have a library. Just like with Suzzane my goal was to purchase at least one new book a week for Charlie. More times than not I couldn’t afford books and that hurt.

Even before we started homeschooling, I wanted books in our home. I wanted him to be surrounded by stories. I wanted him to be able to pick up a book whenever he wanted. The question was how could I make this happen when I couldn’t afford a book.

Then I heard about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and those book helped make that possible. Charlie might not have gotten a book every week like I wanted but every month, a new book would show up for my Charlie.

A book with his name on it. A book he could hold. A book we could read together. And when you’re a mom trying to stretch one income as far as it will go, something like that isn’t a little thing. It’s huge. That is why I would like to take the time to thank Dolly Parton this morning for bringing books into so many children’s lives.

Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. She was inspired by her father, who could not read or write, and she wanted to help children develop a love of books and reading.

What began as a program providing one free, age-appropriate book each month to young children eventually grew far beyond Tennessee. Millions upon millions of books have now been given to children through the program.

Think about that. One woman. One idea. One book at a time. And look at what happened. That’s what I love about Dolly. She didn’t always start with some huge plan to change the world. She saw something that mattered to her. She did something about it. And then she kept going.

When Charlie was little, every book mattered. I wanted him to have books because I wanted him to love reading. I wanted him to have his own little library full of books he could read anytime he wanted to.

And when you’re living on one income, there are things you have to think about that other families might not have to think about. Can we afford this? Can we wait until next payday? Do we really need that?

Sometimes you want to buy your child something so badly, but you know you have other responsibilities. That’s why getting those Imagination Library books meant so much. It gave me something I desperately wanted to give my son without putting another strain on our budget. And I will always be grateful for that.

I don’t remember knowing about the Imagination Library when Suzanne was little or even if it was around. Suzanne was born in 1988 and died in 2004. And if I had known about the Imagination Library when she was little? You can bet your bottom dollar I would have signed her up, too.

Because when Suzanne was little, I had a goal.

I wanted to buy her one new book every week. One book. Every week. That was my dream for her little library. And there were some weeks when I couldn’t do it. There were weeks when the choice wasn’t between one book and another book.

It was between a book and food. And as a mom, what do you do? You put the food on the table. That’s motherhood. You make the choice you have to make. You put dinner on the table. You take care of your babies. And sometimes you put your own dreams for them on hold because you have to.

That’s why Dolly’s Imagination Library means so much to me now. Because she found a way to make sure that a child could receive a book even when their family might not have the money to buy one.

There is something magical about receiving mail when you’re a child. But receiving a book? That’s different. It’s not just something that arrives. It’s something that says: This is yours. You can open it. You can read it. You can ask somebody to read it to you. You can look at the pictures. You can read it again tomorrow. And again next week.

Maybe you fall in love with that book. Maybe it becomes your favorite. Maybe years later you remember it. That’s how reading begins for so many children. Not with a test. Not with a worksheet. With a story.

Dolly Didn’t Just Give Books—She Gave Possibilities That’s what I think Dolly understood. A book isn’t just a book. A book can be a doorway. A child opens it and suddenly they’re somewhere else.

They can meet people they’ve never met. They can visit places they’ve never seen. They can imagine becoming something they’ve never thought about before. Which is where memories are created and conversations you might not have ever thought about.

A little girl can read about a doctor and decide she wants to become one. A little boy can read about an inventor and start imagining what he might create. A child can discover animals, science, history, music, art or another culture. And maybe, somewhere in the pages of one little book, they discover their dream.

That’s why I love the Imagination Library. It isn’t just putting books into children’s hands. It’s putting possibilities into their hands. We’ve used Dolly Parton in homeschooling more than once.

How could we not? Her life gives us so much to learn from. Reading. Writing. Music. History. Business. Entrepreneurship. Faith. Kindness. Giving. Cooking and Storytelling and Love.

And the Imagination Library gives us another lesson: Education doesn’t have to begin in a classroom. Sometimes it begins in your lap. With your child sitting beside you. With a book open between you. With you reading the same story for the hundredth time because your child loves it. That’s education, too. That’s connection. That’s family.

I’ve always wondered what would happen if every child had a little Library? That’s a question I think about. What if every child had books at home? What if money wasn’t the thing that decided whether a child got to own a book? What if a child living in a family that was struggling financially could still open the mailbox and find something that belonged to them?

What if that child started loving books? What if that love of books changed their education? What if it changed what they dreamed about? What if it changed their life? That’s the ripple effect. And Dolly started that ripple with one idea. One book became another. Another child became another. And eventually that little idea became something that reached children far beyond the place where Dolly grew up.

If I were sitting down with a child and talking about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, I would want them to understand something. Dolly didn’t wait until she could change the whole world.

She started where she could. She saw a need. She had an idea. And she did something about it. That’s a lesson every child can understand. Maybe you can’t help a million people. Can you help one? Maybe you can’t donate thousands of dollars. Can you give one book?

Maybe you can’t build a library. Can you read to a child? Maybe you can’t change the whole world. Can you make one little corner of it better? That’s how change happens. One person. One idea. One act of kindness. One book.

And Maybe That’s Dolly’s Greatest Gift. We’ve talked about Dolly’s music. We’ve talked about her movies. We’ve talked about her business. We’ve talked about her faith. We’ve talked about her family. We’ve talked about her life.

But when I think about the Imagination Library, I think about something even bigger. I think about a little child opening the mailbox. I think about a parent who couldn’t afford another book. I think about a grandmother reading to her grandchild.

I think about a mother who desperately wants her child to have opportunities. I think about Charlie. I think about the books that came into our home when money was tight. And I think about Suzanne and the books I wanted so badly to give her.

And I realize that Dolly Parton didn’t just give away books. She gave parents a little help. She gave children something to look forward to. She gave families a reason to read together. She gave children permission to dream. And she gave people like me one more reason to say: Thank you, Dolly.

Maybe that’s why I believe so strongly in reading challenges. Because I know what books can mean. I know what it means to want your child to have a library. I know what it means to have to choose between something you want to give your child and something your family needs.

And I know what it feels like when somebody comes along and makes that choice just a little easier. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library did that for us. It gave Charlie books. And those books became part of our home. Part of our homeschooling. Part of our memories. Part of his childhood. And that’s something money can’t measure.

If you have a child who is eligible for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the program is available in your community, check it out. And if your children are older? Don’t stop reading.

Find books they love. Read together. Start your own little family library. Visit the library. Share books with somebody else. Give a book as a gift. Because you never know what might happen when a child opens a book.

Maybe they’ll discover a character they love. Maybe they’ll learn something new Maybe they’ll find a dream. Maybe they’ll discover who they are. And maybe someday they’ll look back and remember the person who put that book in their hands.

For me, that’s what Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library represents. It’s not just millions of books. It’s millions of moments. And somewhere inside those moments are children who may grow up to become teachers, doctors, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, parents, artists and leaders.

Children who dreamed because somebody gave them a book. That’s a legacy. And that’s the kind of legacy I want to remember. Because if Dolly Parton can take something as simple as her love of books and turn it into a gift for children around the world, maybe the rest of us can look at what we have and ask ourselves:

What can I give? Maybe it isn’t money. Maybe it isn’t fame. Maybe it isn’t something big. Maybe it’s simply a story. A book. A little time. A little kindness. A little faith. A little encouragement.

Sometimes the smallest gifts become the biggest memories. And that’s why I will always be grateful for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Because I remember one little boy receiving those books. And I know exactly what they meant to his mama.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates