There have been lots of places where people have shared the amazing work and life and person that Dolly was. But the Imagination Library is what will always have my heart. This is the legacy of her’s that lives in my home, and in the homes of millions and millions of families.

This isn’t even all the books we received. Only the ones that still live on our downstairs bookshelf now that my youngest is 9. More than half of these are side by side multi-lingual. They share stories spanning across neurotypes, races, and ethnicities. These books helped me put my kids to bed, entertain them in the endless hours spent sitting by the potty, and taught them that people are inherently good and kind.

My favorite book of the lot is down there at the right, next to the two Dolly books: “The Rabbit Listened”.

Not only does this book describe how I like to be comforted, by physical touch and presence, until I’m ready to talk, it has also informed how I practice chaplaincy, especially now that I’m in a pediatric setting.

In between listening to Dolly’s music as you grieve, go take a moment to listen to that story, and be like the rabbit when the people around you are grieving too.

Legacy lives a thousand thousand lifetimes. I will always love you Dolly, for what you did for the world.