I have shared before on It’s Just Life that I love to listen to podcasts. There are so many out there that are interesting and engaging. Recently I discovered a new one – Dolly Parton’s America. This 9-episode journey into the Dollyverse as it is referred to is hosted by Jad Abumrad.
I have listened to all 9 episodes and I love Dolly even more than I had before. I have always admired her and these podcasts were a glimpse into a little bit more of her life and her beliefs. She says she does not promote politics because she has fans on both sides of every issue but sometimes I think her non political stance speaks volumes.
One thing she said in one of the episodes stuck out to me and I jotted it down. This question was posed to Dolly – “How do you practice your faith?”
Dolly’s response “I don’t practice it. I live it. I live my faith.”
That response just stopped me right there in my tracks and I replayed it. There is no practice with Dolly. She out and out lives it. She goes on to talk about different religions, churches and the such and does not promote any single one. If anything she is one of those people who finds God everywhere. When she speaks about her faith and how she lives her life I feel that that is what speaks volumes.
During this time of pandemic we have not been able to go to a physical church. On Sundays I have been known to channel surf church and because of the many church services available online and live streaming on platforms like Facebook Live I have been able to “attend” many services. It is kind of fun to channel surf instead of pew surf. Do I miss the actual physical service and ritual of going to a building? Yes, but not as much as I thought I would.
Living my faith now means that I have to be able to find God outside of the typical church service and I suppose I have always been able to do that. Now it is even more important to be able to stay grounded in my faith. I never thought I would live through a pandemic but I am certainly relieved that I don’t have to do it alone. God is always with me. What a blessing.
