This past weekend, my family and friends gathered together for my dad’s unveiling. It is hard to believe that he passed away almost one year ago. As the days led up to his unveiling, ending the “formal” mourning period according to our tradition, I began to think about the mark we make while we are here on earth and how it directly ties in with the start of the upcoming High Holy Day season.

Then, our world lost two icons on back-to-back days…. Dolly Parton and Tim Curry… both legends in their own fields and remembered very differently. People are remembering Curry for his iconic roles in such classic films as Annie, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue, Muppets’ Treasure Island (one of my personal favorites of his roles), and others, along with his numerous roles on Broadway as well.

However, when it came to Dolly Parton, like me, you probably noticed that her tributes were so very different. While her music and prolific songwriting were prominently featured in various news stories and features, as well as a special presentation on Saturday’s Grand Ole Opry show, I believe her humanitarian and philanthropic work has been highlighted the most. And in particular, her creation of Imagination Library. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for children in her home county in Tennessee. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts millions of free books each month to children around the world.

The impact of Imagination Library goes beyond the children (and families) who received the books; it also inspired the creation of another important program. In 2005, Harold Grinspoon, a philanthropist in Western Massachusetts, heard Dolly Parton on the radio discussing her work with the Imagination Library. Motivated by her mission, Grinspoon first became a local sponsor for Parton's program and later used it as a model to create and launch PJ Library to help foster a love of Judaism in Jewish youth by sending books to families raising Jewish children.

Our tradition teaches us that as we enter a new year, it is a chance to reflect on who we are today and who we hope to be in the year ahead. In essence, we are given a chance to consider the mark we want to leave and the impact we want to have over the next 365 days. I believe this concept was part of what inspired Parton, Grinspoon, and many others to give back and help make a difference in the lives of people… many of whom they would never meet.

As we head into the start of 5787 next Friday, may each of us find a way to make our world better and inspire others to do the same. It is the way my dad lived his life and taught my brother and me to do. And it is what people all over the world are celebrating Parton for helping inspire.