08/31/2026
Sharing the story of the first time I saw Jonah cry.
It wasnât at his grandmotherâs funeral, who he was very close to since childhood. It wasnât at our wedding and it wasnât after the birth of either of our daughters. It was after listening to Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton on a very ordinary afternoon.
If you donât know the song, please go and listen to it. The lyrics will stop you in your tracks and move you, perhaps to tears, like Jonah.
The song tells of how Partonâs mother stitched together a coat for her daughter out of rags given to the family. As she sewed, she told her child the biblical story of Joseph and this coat of many colours.Â
The excited child, âwith patches on my britches and holes in both my shoesâ, rushed to school, âjust to find the others laughing and making fun of meâ for wearing a coat made of rags.
And oh I could not understand it, for I felt I was richâ¨And I told them of the love my momma sewed in every stitchâ¨And I told âem all the story momma told me while she sewedâ¨And how my coat of many colours was worth more than all their clothes
The song concludes with Parton singing the moral of her story:
But they didnât understand it, and I tried to make them seeâ¨One is only poor, only if they choose to beâ¨Now I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could beâ¨In my coat of many colours my momma made for me
Parton has called the song âa world of thingsâ and that âit teaches about bullying, about love, about acceptance, about good parents.â and above all, it taught me about my husbandâs heart.
Thank you Dolly for your music, magic and humanity. đ
