08/25/2026
Today, we are grieving the loss of Dolly Parton.
For so many of us, Dolly was more than a singer, songwriter, or beloved entertainer. She was a familiar voice, a generous spirit, and a woman who seemed to understand that sometimes the greatest gifts we can give are the ones that help someone else dream.
Her heart for children was extraordinary.
Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, she gave millions of children something wonderfully simple: a book of their very own. But what she was really giving was so much more. She was giving children the joy of being thought of. The excitement of opening the mailbox. The comfort of a bedtime story. The opportunity to imagine a world bigger than the one outside their front door.
Here in Lodi, we have had the incredible privilege of witnessing that gift firsthand.
Every month, we see the names of local children who are receiving books because Dolly believed they should. We see parents share photos of their little ones reading. We see children grow up with a love of stories that may stay with them for the rest of their lives.
And knowing that this came from one woman’s simple belief that every child deserves a book makes her loss feel especially personal to all of us who have been entrusted with carrying that vision forward.
Dolly once said, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
Today feels like a rainy day.
So today, we simply say thank you, Dolly.
Thank you for the music.
Thank you for the laughter.
Thank you for your generosity.
Thank you for believing in children.
Thank you for putting books into little hands and big dreams into little hearts.
We are heartbroken that you are gone.
But we are deeply grateful that you were here.
And every time a child in Lodi opens an Imagination Library book, a little piece of Dolly’s beautiful heart will be there too. 📚💛
Rest peacefully, Dolly. Your story is far from finished.
