Labor Day and Holiness

Sep 6

Last Tuesday, when I heard the news that Dolly Parton died, I was taken aback. I did not know she was sick, so her death, to me at least, was unexpected. I am not a country music fan, so I confess Dolly wasn’t on my playlist. But a sadness set in because I did know that Dolly, besides being a prolific song writer and singer, was a person who lived her Christian faith with great integrity and did a lot of good.

Her philanthropy was widely known. Growing up in Sevier County, Tennessee, she never forgot her roots. Knowing that education is the only real way out of poverty, she created scholarships and educational support systems for students in her hometown and throughout the county. She offered $500 scholarships for Sevier County students that attended Hiwassee College, $15,000 scholarships for Sevier County high school seniors, and paid the tuition, books, and uniforms for Dollywood employees who went to college. The Dollywood Foundation created a “Buddy Program” that paired 7th and 8th graders with a friend to encourage them and help them remain in school. The dropout rate went from 35% to 6%.

She opened the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary in 1991 to shelter non-releasable bald eagles.

She donated $1 million in 2020 to Vanderbilt University for coronavirus vaccine research, aiding Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine development.

She had funded children’s hospitals and in 2024 she personally gave $1 million for Hurricane Helene relief in East Tennessee, with an additional $1 million from her businesses and the Dollywood Foundation.

Her generosity went beyond her home state. She created the “Imagination Library” that mails one free, age-appropriate book monthly to children from birth until kindergarten. By 2025, it had gifted over 300 million books worldwide, reaching nearly 850,000 children each month in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.

I think my sadness at the news of her death comes from an understanding that at the foundation of this country singer truly was a sense of holiness. Dolly Parton sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling country artists of all time, but what she created out of her successful career is truly an example for all of us.

This weekend, as we mark the “end of summer” with the celebration of Labor Day, perhaps we can reflect on the works of our labors and ask ourselves if they too bring about God’s Kingdom in our corner of the world.

May God continue to inspire all of us to offer our works, like Dolly Parton, to make this a better world for everyone, especially the poor and those who struggle. Peace and All Good.