08/31/2026
It has taken me a week or so to talk about how Dolly touched me. Physically- she touched me when I was 6 years old.~~~~~~~ My grandmother, Roxie, and her new husband bought an enormous Lincoln town car. All us cousins and second cousins could fit in it. We drove to see our Young family in Arkansas. I loved it there, it felt like a paradise that I didn’t want to leave. The gardens were so…. edible. Fruits everywhere. I refused to get on the plane with my mother to go back home quickly. Instead, my grandmother drove me back in the town car. Somewhere close, there was a county fair with lots of square dancing. Everyone had so many ruffles.. and so did the bandstand. Up north nothing gets that flowery. Certainly not on stage in Massachusetts. Well, in walked Dolly, to me she looked like Glinda from the Wizard of Oz, just sparkling and glowing. She saw a 6 year old blonde girl who knew way too much about show business to be just ordinary. I asked, essentially, why all the fluff? She said Well honey, every beautiful thing that comes your way whether it’s the lace or the sparkle, just use it to shine your light. It’s what everyone looks at. So, I tell you, as I always do, Lakshmi loves 6. I was blessed or initiated somehow.When I was 6, a goddess touched my back. She looked a lot like this. Sparkling and with pink 🪷💖😘
