Dolly Parton—A Simple Piece of Wood

I caught a glimpse of the original steel magnolia cradling her guitar as I flipped through the thin, glossy pages of Southern Living Magazine last Sunday afternoon. Divine Dolly Parton. Sweet, singing, songwriting Southern royalty. Jennifer V. Cole had the good fortune of sitting down and interviewing Dolly for the Southern Living feature. I surged with envy, wishing the magazine had hired me instead.

Beloved Dolly Parton talked about a keepsake in a recent interview with Southern Living Magazine.

As a child of the Sixties and Seventies, I grew up watching and listening to Dolly on The Porter Wagoner Show and her variety show, Dolly!  Her angelic voice, her big platinum blonde locks, her curvaceous figure, and her vibrantly-colored, sequined jumpsuits with the tight waists and bell bottom pants will forever be etched in my childhood memories. 

“Coat of Many Colors,” “Hard Candy Christmas,” and “I Will Always Love You” are among my all time favorites. Indeed, Dolly and I have sung these songs together hundreds of times in the car, though she was never physically present for our dynamic duets.

Her harmonies with Brad Paisley in “When I Get Where I’m Going” gave the song wings, and boy, it soared. It soared sky high.

But what does Dolly Parton have to do with Project Keepsake? In her interview with Southern Living, she spoke of a time capsule that will be opened in 2045 at DreamMore, and she mentioned a certain keepsake that grabbed my attention—a piece of wood from the porch of her childhood home. The interviewer asked her what the plank meant to her.

“It just makes me think of Mama and Daddy and my childhood. It’s not just [about] being a star, but [about] who I was then—and who I still am—and the way [my parents] helped mold and shape [my brothers and sisters and me] into the kind of people that we’ve become. It says a lot about that family unit, about the people and the mountains. It’s from my humble beginnings; in America all things are possible and dreams can come true. All of those little pieces of your past, they’re all important.

…But I think people just always used to gather on days like today when it’s too hot to be in a house. You get outside and sit on your porch—that’s where you do your biggest dreaming. ”

— Dolly Parton, Southern Living Magazine, October 2014

Dolly has placed a piece of wood from the porch of her childhood home in a time capsule at DreamMore. It's a symbol of family, love, and Southern culture. 

I read every word, closed the magazine, turned to my husband, and said, "I knew it. I knew it. I knew Dolly had keepsakes."

He looked over at me for a moment then turned his attention back to the football game. 

Just before Project Keepsake was published, I sent a copy of my manuscript to her people and asked them to share it with her. I knew it was a long shot, but I tried anyway. I had hoped Dolly would read the keepsake stories, embrace the project, and possibly, write a blurb for me, but that’s not what happened. A few months after my request, I received a very polite rejection letter in the mail. I emphasize the word, polite.

Still, reading Dolly’s interview in Southern Living validated my belief that everyone—even Dolly Parton—has a keepsake and every keepsake has a story to tell. Just as mine do, Dolly's keepsakes surround her with rich, powerful memories.

We all keep and hold onto objects that link us to the memories we care most about. We keep things so we will remember, but somewhere along the way, our keepsakes take on lives of their own and define where we came from, what matters to us, and perhaps most of all, who we are.

That piece of wood from the porch of her family's cabin—that simple keepsake—says a lot about who Dolly Parton is.

sale

Sale Price:$16.99 Original Price:$18.99

Thank you, Dolly, for your magnificent music, your wisdom, your grace, your many acts of charity and kindness, and most of all, for your sharing so much of your heart and soul with us throughout your illustrious career.

Do you have a keepsake? Where did it come from? Why is it special? Share the story.

Project Keepsake is on sale with free shipping and handling. It's great gift item, especially for the holidays. Buy it right here right now, and get a free bookmark, too.

Blue Plate Special

Jane Starner shot into my life like a comet.  I happened to sit beside her at a Chattanooga Writers Guild (CWG) workshop a few years ago, and we began talking about writing and an array of other topics. I soon learned that she has many gifts and that she spends her time doing interesting, soulful activities.

Jane Starner with her beautiful cobalt blue plate.  Her story begins on page 69.

She is a retired English and drama teacher with a following—a fan club, of sorts—of former students who adore her. She's carved whimsical carousel animals at a Chattanooga carving school. She travels abroad to interesting destinations. She's volunteered at the Hunter Museum of Art. She completed a memoir titled, My Indiana Childhood, for her family. She writes impressive children's books (one of my favorites is about a mystical heron).  She writes delightful poetry that makes me want to write poetry, too. She creates bold, colorful art. She's even met John Irving, author of A Prayer for Owen Meany and other bestselling novels. I could go on, but you get the idea.

During the workshop, Jane shared with me that she regularly attended the CWG's Memoir Writers Group read and critique meetings. I joined the Memoir Writers Group, too, and had the pleasure of listening to Jane read many of her stories aloud. She's a phenomenal storyteller and writer, and still, she is an even better friend.

Jane was one of the first people to contribute a story to Project Keepsake. She encouraged me for months to keep collecting stories. And when my search for a publisher finally ended last summer, Jane was among the first of friends and family members to call and congratulate me.

Jane's story, "Blue Plate Special," begins on page sixty-nine. I've always loved her story, just as I love the woman who penned it. Enjoy this excerpt from Jane's story.

“In our home, birthdays were never a huge event. No clowns. No pony rides. No parties with crepe paper streamers and balloons. No matching paper tablecloths and napkins. No upright piano—not even an out-of-tune one with yellowed keys. Instead, on our birthdays, the blue plate appeared, holding a homemade, perhaps lopsided, cake with icing and candles, a rarity during the war years when sugar was rationed. I licked the icing from the face of the blue woman before washing the plate in the sink and replacing it in the hutch cupboard.

We never questioned the identity of the stern woman on the plate, but she stared out at us, surrounded by three circles embossed on the blue. Her name, “Frances E. Willard,” was barely legible below the dates “1839-1939.” I wondered about this unsmiling woman with hair pulled into a bun. Connie said that Willard was once president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and was active in the woman’s suffrage movement. She was also president of a women’s college in Chicago and the first dean of women when Northwestern University admitted women.

Grandmother received the set of plates in gratitude for her work in the Indiana chapter of the WCTU and in the suffrage movement. At that time, activists believed if women were allowed to vote, prohibition could become law.

Perplexed, I mused on how little we know of others—even relatives. Grandmother was a plain woman who wore dark clothes, cotton hose, sensible shoes, and no makeup. For church, she added a lace collar and a simple brooch. When cooking, she pinned a calico apron to her bosom. I remember her gigantic fern kept on a stand near the southern windows lined with velvety African violets in shades of pink and purple.”

— Jane Starner