Dolly Parton. Her name is synonymous with country music, blond wigs, a big smile, and a couple of other big things. 😉 I must confess that I am not a Dolly aficionado. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know much about her at all until a recent family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. Now I am a bona fide fan.
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born, the fourth of twelve children, in a one room cabin in the mountains of East Tennessee. Her mother was the mom of twelve kids by the time she was thirty-five years old. Her dad was a preacher. Dolly was born into the deep end of the pool. Her family was so very poor. They probably could not have sunk much lower based on their economic status. Because they had no money, her dad paid the doctor who delivered her with a bag of corn meal. She relates one early story where her mother made her a coat from leftover scraps of material, a coat of many colors. Dolly later wrote one of her best-loved songs about that coat. A TV movie was even made based on that song, “Coat of Many Colors”.
Dolly loved music from a young age. Although she was not a great student academically, she graduated from high school, loaded up her car, and moved to Nashville the day after graduation to pursue her dream of becoming a professional singer.
The rest, as they say, is history. Dolly Parton is an icon in the music industry. But she never forgot what it felt like to swim for her life in the deep end of the pool in that little town where she was raised.
Dolly could have made her millions and rested on her laurels, forgetting her family and the community where she came from. But once her dream to make music (and movies) was achieved, Dolly kept dreaming. She became a savvy and successful business woman and a philanthropist. She once said, “Many an old boy has found out too late that I look like a woman but think like a man. It is a great mistake to assume that because I look soft, I do business that way.”
My own children benefitted from the Dollywood Foundation literacy program, which provided a new book, mailed to each child monthly, from birth to 5 years of age. During our recent trip to east Tennessee, I was struck by the poverty that is still prevalent in that area. But now, due to Dolly’s insistence that jobs be provided to the people who live in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and other local cities in the Smoky Mountains, many local residents have found employment through Dollywood, The Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede, and Dolly’s nearby resort.
We stayed at the resort, which is aptly named. “Dream More.” Not surprisingly, I spent some time dreaming during our trip. I’ve had a number of dreams during my life. Marriage. Babies. Adopting from China. Singing. A nursing career. Moving to Nashville. But this recent trip has challenged me to keep dreaming. Dolly says, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Wow! Who AM I? The person I am today is different than the person I was yesterday and the person I will be tomorrow.
We all have had dreams at some point in our lives. Some seem attainable and some seem like pipe dreams, a mirage, or even a delusional daydream. Maybe you think that your time to dream has passed. But I am here to tell you it’s never too late to have a dream. I love what the bible says about dreams in Acts 2:17: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.’
I have gotten very bold with God as I have gotten older. Bob Goff has said, “Bold prayers honor God and God honors bold prayers.” So I have learned to be bold when God and I talk. If I am praying for what I can accomplish on my own, no faith is required. But if I pray boldly for things that are well outside of my control, that’s where faith in the abilities of a loving Father kicks in.
I’ll let you decide which group you fall into based on that verse in Acts. If you see yourself as a young man or woman, ask God to give you a vision for the life he wants you to pursue. Or ask him to give you a glimpse of his vision for the world, and jump into his world. If you see yourself as an older man or woman, ask God to give you a fresh dream, one that fulfills your life and allows you to be everything that he created you to be.
We were all put on this earth for a purpose. It’s time to think about what that purpose is, and to allow ourselves to dream more. Because as Dolly says, “Dreams are of no value if they’re not equipped with wings.”
Thanks, Dolly.