I. Loved. This. Movie.
I could give you a thousand reasons why.
I was impressed by how well it was made and how good the acting was for a TV special (I don’t watch TV specials, so maybe this is commonplace and I’m missing out???)
I love the Christian storyline, but even if you are not religious or spiritual, there are things in this movie that you will love, too.
I’m not from East Tennessee originally, but there is something about the opening scene with those gorgeous Smoky Mountains that just makes me feel blessed to live here (and excited to watch a movie about my backyard!).
And while I don’t listen to country music anymore, Dolly Parton is part of my childhood. More than you will ever know! When I sang on stage at the “Elmont Opry” with my family’s country western band (yes… all things are being revealed now), I remember one of the performers singing Coat of Many Colors, so… Hello, Dolly!
But the part of the movie that captured my heart above anything else was the relationship between Avie Lee (Momma) and her children.
Maybe it was because Little Dolly reminded me so much of my own spunky little girl. Or perhaps it’s because I could only dream of handling situations with as much grace as that Momma did. Whatever the case, it was just beautiful and natural and meaningful and I couldn’t get those images out of my head for days.
Nowadays we get so enamored by the mom who can shuttle three kids to school and practice and performances and still make time for the zoo and the library and her makeup and a 3-course dinner and a night out with her friends and an Anniversary vacation and church and the soup kitchen and… how does she do it?!
But there was something about the mother in that movie, in that little house in the mountains with all those kids and nothing but love, that my heart yearned for.
Sitting on the porch with a neighbor. Gracefully orchestrating each members’ role in the family. Stitching together rags to make something beautiful. Praying over and affirming each child around the dinner table. And those conversations… those real, heart-level conversations that shared hard truths and deep love in a way that would shape their hearts forever.
It forced me to examine the recipe we’ve created today that supposedly cooks up a well-rounded child, and I couldn’t help but think how far we’ve drifted from that simple family-focused life. Where there is space in the day for talking. And singing. And sharing life.
Do I still do that? Do I have time for that? Is that still a priority?
I thought about my home and how much I love being here with my kids. Yet so often I feel guilty for not “getting out” and saying “yes” to every invitation. I feel like I’m not serving my kids the best when they’re not signed up for activities and going to story times and attending educational events. I am uncertain if I’m doing enough and giving enough and buying enough.
But then I see this simple story of family and faith and I wonder if maybe I’m overthinking all of this. Maybe, just maybe, our grandparents were on to something with their simple, homegrown love. And maybe, just maybe, I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
I watch this Momma as she lives so naturally because she has given her family space to breathe. How she is intentional about speaking truth into her daughter’s life and breathing life into her dreams. How she does everything out of love for her family. How she is available, and honest, and full of joy. How she and her husband work through challenges because they recognize that love is a daily choice, not a fairy tale ending. And I just want to move to the mountains and grow a healthy family.
Because when you create a home where love happens on the outside and faith grows in the mundane, it changes your priorities. Your most important playdate is awaiting in the backyard. Your big business meeting happens on the front porch. And your class of eager students is sitting around the kitchen table.
Momma.
What a blessed calling. What a great privilege. What a priceless relationship. We are, each of us, creating a tapestry of memories and experiences and conversations that will shape our child’s lives forever.
We are all creating a Coat of Many Colors… Let’s make it beautiful.
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Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors will air again on Christmas Night, December 25th, at 9pm on NBC (WBIR). It is also available right now, right here!
