R.I.P. Dolly

I wanted to take the time to give honor where honor is due in this blog post.

Yesterday, we lost an icon. They say she had been battling cancer. To say that I hate cancer is an understatement. It has taken so many lives—some I've known personally and some I haven't. Regardless, it is a disease that needs a cure.

Growing up, this woman was such a powerful force for women everywhere. She made it in an industry that, at the time, was overwhelmingly male-dominated. Being a woman in country music wasn't for the faint of heart, and Dolly was by no means someone who would take no for an answer. If someone told her she couldn't do something, she proved them wrong every...single...time!

She was someone I looked up to and admired greatly. I grew up listening to her music and watching her movies. Everyone knew who Dolly was and loved her—even people who weren't particularly country music fans. You just couldn't help but love her.

I remember our very first visit to Dollywood when Tim was 7 years old. What stood out to me wasn't just the park itself, but the way Dolly treated families of those who had served in our military. My husband's parents were able to get five tickets for a fraction of what it would have cost at a place like Disney. Dolly made sure that military families were treated with generosity and appreciation. That meant something to me. It showed me that her heart for people wasn't just something we saw on television or heard in interviews. She found ways to give back and to honor those who had sacrificed for others.

(This was taken in her RV at Dollywood)

There was something so genuine about Dolly. She seemed to love people, encourage people, and bring joy wherever she went. I can't remember a time when I saw her in public and she wasn't smiling or lifting someone else up.

Losing her husband after nearly 60 years together was heartbreaking. When you spend that many years of your life loving someone, a piece of your heart goes with them when they're gone. I thought of that when I heard of her passing. My husband's parents had been together for just as long, if not longer, when they passed away just a little over a year apart from one another. I remember thinking about how deeply intertwined two lives become after so many decades together.

Dolly Parton will forever remain one of my heroes—not simply because of her incredible career, but because of the woman she chose to be throughout it. She broke barriers, opened doors, encouraged generations of women, and used her success to make a difference in the lives of others.

Dolly left her fingerprint on my heart, just as she did on the hearts of so many others.

She will never be forgotten.

There will never be another Dolly.

One Year Without You, Nan...

It's hard to believe it's been a year since you left us, Nan.

Losing you just a little over a year after Pop passed has left a hole in our family that can never truly be filled. Family gatherings aren't the same anymore. There are empty chairs where laughter once echoed. There are stories we wish we could still tell you in person. There are moments when we still instinctively think, "I can't wait to tell Nan," before remembering you're no longer here.

People often say time heals all wounds. I don't think that's entirely true.

Time teaches us how to carry the loss, but it never erases the love.

So much life has happened this past year.

Tim turned 18 and five days later he graduated from high school. He got his full class c driver's license. He started a new chapter of adulthood working with his dad. But perhaps the biggest milestone of all was becoming a USA Weightlifting Junior National Champion.

We couldn't help but think of you and Pop that day.

Scot and I can still picture how proud you both would have been. You watched Tim work toward that dream for years. You saw the countless hours of training, the setbacks, the disappointments, and the determination that never wavered.

When he stood on that podium as National Champion, our hearts were overflowing with joy—but there was also an ache.

We wished you were still here to share it.

We wished we could have called you afterward.

We wished we could have seen the smile on your face and heard you tell him how proud you were.

But even in the middle of that bittersweet moment, we found comfort knowing that while you weren't here with us, you are safely in the presence of the One you loved most, watching and smiling from heaven.

Scripture reminds us:

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

That promise doesn't erase the pain, but it gives us hope.

There have been birthdays, holidays, celebrations, and ordinary days that have all looked different without you and Pop. We miss your laughter, your hugs, your wisdom, and simply having you here.

Grief has a way of reminding us just how deeply we loved someone.

And what a gift that love was.

I'm so thankful for the years we all had together. Thankful for the memories you've left us. Thankful for the example you lived before us. Thankful that our goodbye isn't forever.

Because for those who know Christ, death isn't the end of the story.

It's simply "see you later."

Until that day, we'll continue living the lives you and Pop encouraged us to live—loving God, loving each other, working hard, celebrating life's victories, and trusting the Lord through every season.

We miss you every single day, Nan.

Not a day goes by that you and Pop don't cross our minds.

Thank you for loving us so well.

We'll carry your memory in our hearts until we're together again.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain..." (Revelation 21:4)

Until we see you again, We love you, Nan.

RIP Nancy Mills Olive...

posted on social media in 2023

This wonderful woman of God went home to be with Jesus this past Saturday, September 13th.  She is one of my dearest friends, Page Johnson's, mom.  She is one of the most precious women I've ever known.  God's joy overflowed in her life always.  I never saw her with a frown on her face.  She was always smiling ear to ear like you see in this picture of her.  I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to know this wonderful woman many years ago when I was a camp counselor at NLC.  Women like her are rare and being able to spend time with such women should be remembered and cherished always.  I know she is having the most fun time ever in heaven with her Lord and Savior right now and she wouldn't trade places with any of us for anything in the world.