“If you see someone without a smile, give ’em yours.” ~ Dolly Parton
the doctor is in
Dr. Anastasia Curwood was the keynote speaker on Saturday and this year’s historian award winner. I’ve known Dr. Curwood for a couple of years now, but I’ve gotten to know her better over this past summer because she is chairing my last Gaines Fellow committee. I have worked with many a PhD over the decades, and let me tell you, educators like Dr. Curwood are a breath of fresh air. She doesn’t do all the talking. She’s interested in what others have to say. She values everyone’s voice at the table. She is a kind, thoughtful person. Naturally, she does very well with horses and is a champion dressage rider. She’s done a lot of things to make life a little better in her corner of the world. You know, that’s all most of us can ever do; try to make life a little better in our sphere of influence. Dolly Parton died today, and she did a lot for the whole world. That is quite a sphere of influence. When Hero died in 2022, Queen Elizabeth soon followed. Now Shero and the Queen of Goodness, Dolly, have died in the same year. For all the things she was- and she was many things indeed- the one thing Dolly did best was make us feel valued. All of us. This country, indeed the world, has lost one of its brightest lights, truest hearts. When people asked, “who is the one person you’d most like to talk to?” I said, Dolly. Now, she’s talking to Hero and Shero and all the ancestors over there on the other side of the veil, having big laughs and making lots of music. The world is a little dimmer this evening, but we’ve still got decent, honest people like Anastasia Curwood doing all the good she can, with all she has, where she is. That’s all most of us can ever do. I’m grateful for them, Anastasia, and Dolly.
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My mama wasn’t necessarily a fan of Dolly’s, but she recognized that a light moved on to the other side when we lost her. She said, “Dolly was the same every time you saw her.” That is true as far as I can tell, and rare amongst celebrities. Peace be with her, and with the rest of us, too.