Butterflies And Dolly Parton

WARREN COUNTY, OH -- Dolly Parton was someone I’ve kept my eye on at least as far back as 1967 when she was on the Porter Wagoner Show. She had a boundless capacity for song-writing, singing, acting and so much more. She even played several string instruments. 

I saw her perform twice when she was here for concerts in southwest Ohio. Dolly was not just musically talented. She was an amazingly brilliant business person — born in Appalachia and blazing her career trail through Nashville and well beyond. 

She had a sense of humor and was always in touch with reality. She said she knew who she was and she did it on purpose! She said she counted her blessings more than she counted her money! Yes, she made a lot of money, but she was always ready to share it with people and causes where she saw a genuine need.

I don’t think Dolly was a naturalist, but I do think she admired and appreciated nature. Her understanding of nature was sometimes written into the lyrics of the songs she wrote. She sang about the wind, the pines, crickets and the natural ecology of the area where she grew up in Eastern Tennessee. 

“We got the most radiant flowers, the biggest assortment of trees,” she said in an interview with National Geographic on April 6, 2022. “The Smokies have a heart of their own. It’s the way the water flows, the way it sounds, and the way it feels when you get in it. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s my home—but I really don’t think so. I think it’s just one of those special places that God put here for us to enjoy.”

Apparently, Dolly appreciated butterflies as much as I do. 

She wrote them into one of her songs that I have always enjoyed hearing. The title of the song is “Love is Like a Butterfly”. 

Dolly will be remembered long, long into the future.

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