I’m sure I’m not the only one who cried when I heard the news that Dolly Parton had crossed the rainbow bridget last week. She was, of course, a great singer/songwriter/musician/performer. But I think she was an even better all-around person. She was strong and brave and hard working who was an incredible success in a formerly male-dominated industry. But more than that, she was a ray of sunshine in a world that all too often seems dark and negative. She was the epitome of small but mighty. She also was so authentic, being herself and wearing the clothes that made her feel good, even if others judged those clothes as being “trashy.” She seemed to honestly love and accept everyone as they were, even if their tastes and values and positions were different from her own. And she was an abundant and generous philantrophist, helping to give the world both a COVID vaccine when the disease was at its height and the wonderful Imagination Library that has mailed over 332 million free books to children in 5 different countries.

We could all learn a lot from Ms. Dolly Parton!

So of course she is the performer for today’s Motivational Music Monday selection. This is the latest version of a song she has recorded 4 times since its introduction in 1977 and called her “song of deliverance.” In this version, she is joined by her god daughter, Miley Cyrus, as well as Lainey Wilson, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire. The song also includes David Foster on piano and Christ Church Choir on background vocals. The profits of this song went to support pediatric cancer research at the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee. I hope you find this song as uplifting as I do.

❤️