Dolly Parton had been saying goodbye to children in the same way for more than 25 years.
Every time a child enrolled in her Imagination Library turned 5 and was ready to start school, they received one last book. Inside was a letter signed by her, ‘the lady of the books.’ It reminded them that they had been just a baby when their family enrolled them, asked them to promise they would keep reading even when no more books arrived at their home, and left them the lessons she had learned from her own family: dream big, learn as much as possible, and care for those who care for you. The letter ended with a final message straight to the heart: she asked them to remember that she would always love them.
When Parton died in Nashville at 80, that letter began circulating on social media. A journalist said her daughter had received it a year earlier. Other families discovered that the message had arrived at their homes on the same day as the announcement of her death. Dolly never had children of her own, but before she left, she had already said goodbye, one by one, to those who learned to read thanks to her.