“Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton #MusicMonday

Perhaps this is the “morning” we need …

Source: Dolly Parton

"It's been a long dark night and I've been waiting for the morning. It's been a long hard fight but I see a brand new day a dawning."

Those lyrics aren't just a “new” song from Dolly Parton. They're a prayer and a shout for hope.

Dolly Parton just recently rerecorded her song "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" to celebrate her 80th birthday. It’s a song she wrote in 1977 that speaks to resilience, hope, and the belief that morning comes after the darkest part of the night. She brings it back with some of her friends and is using it to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

But the real gift isn't the donation … it’s her message of hope and unity to all of us.

In a country that feels fractured and exhausted, we're all waiting for the morning to come. We are waiting for the sunshine to break through. We're all tired from the fight. And here is Dolly at 80 years old, still showing up, still believing in the new day and still giving back.

Inspiring.

I've been a fan of Dolly's for a long time. She's a national treasure. Not because she's talented, though she absolutely is. But because she's spent a lifetime showing us who she is: generous, courageous, rooted in her values, and always believing in something better.

And now, at a moment when we desperately need it, she's giving us permission to believe that the morning will come.

One song can't heal a country. But it can remind us that this too shall pass and that a new day is still possible. We can survive the long dark night if we hold onto hope, together.

Thank you, Dolly, for being exactly who you are. For giving us your gifts. And for giving us permission to believe in healing.

Put this song on repeat, and help some kids in need in the process.

What's your experience? JIM

P.S. - Here’s another gem that Dolly wrote, long before Whitney captured it and made it her own …