Dolly Parton

I love my Sunday Morning routine. When I get up, I make a pot of coffee -- and then, I settle in with my laptop and the CBS Morning Show.

I LOVE this show. It is very well done -- and they do in-depth stories about people and places I've never heard of.

This show is where I learned about the Hudson Yards VESSEL, in New York City.

Years ago, they did a story about North Platte, Nebraska -- and how they fed thousands of soldiers during WW II.

I always learn something...in the most pleasant way imaginable. For me, the CBS Morning Show is about the BEST of America. Their stories are uplifting.

Last year, they did a wonderful story about Fred Harvey and how his fine dining restaurants all along the Santa Fe Railroad changed America. The story was so interesting, that day, I ordered the book, Appetite for America

Some of the Harvey Hotels still exist (maybe in California?)...there is no doubt that the way he did business CHANGED the world.

Recently, they did a profile of Dolly Parton. I don't pretend to know much about Country Music, but I have always loved Dolly Parton. I admire her talent, of course, but her story is so inspirational...how she's figured out ways to give back to her family, and her community. She built an entire theme park in Tennessee to provide commerce and jobs.

But, without a doubt, the most remarkable thing Dolly Parton has done is to create her Imagination Library

From the website:  In 1995, Dolly launched her Imagination Library in Sevier County, TN, where she was born and raised.  Inspired by her own father’s inability to read or write, she determined that there had to be a way to help children fall in love with books.  The program sent free books to children from birth to age five and helped inspire a love of reading in the lives of the children in the mountains of her youth.

Great ideas and unselfish dreams always have wings to fly, and such is the case with Dolly’s Imagination Library.  It spread from one county to the entire state of Tennessee.  The excitement and results of the program kept growing until it spread all over the United States.  From there, it expanded to Canada, Great Britain, Australia and most recently the Republic of Ireland.

So far, Dolly has mailed out over 125 MILLION books to children all over the world.

During the Sunday Morning interview, Dolly had this to say about music....

Music my therapy...my guitar is my friend...when I'm writing or singing a song, I'm in the zone, I call it my God Zone...I just love that time...

I count my blessings more than I count my money. I don't count my money, I never did...playing, picking and writing is my happy place...it's my therapy.

I love the sound of music...I love being able to create something...
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When I watched that story about Dolly Parton, I listened to what she was saying about music...and I realized I feel the same way about sewing.