It's always sad when a light winks out of this world. With Dolly, it feels like a whole lighthouse has disappeared from the coast, and I'm sure those of us who loved from her from afar might feel a little lost at sea right now. For those of us who didn't know her personally, just the presence of such a person in the world meant a lot.

I don't cry over many celebrity deaths, but I found about this one as I was coming in hot and sweaty from mowing the lawn. I found myself shedding my tears in the shower, but not for Dolly. What a life. What an impact she had. Even calling Dolly a "celebrity" feels wrong. She transcended into a force of good and a true icon long ago. I believe that Dolly's light will shine on. Rather my tears were for the rest of us, who have to live in a world without her.

Except, I don't think Dolly would ever want us to stay with that for too long. She'd rather we follow her example (or, rather, as she would insist, God's example) and live with the same sense of love, kindness, empathy, and humor she lived hers. Not just with words, or her art, but all the real-world things she did for so many.

I haven't believed in God for a very long time. For me, my life has been much better since then. But I've always said that Dolly was one of those few Christians who made me want to believe. Now that she's passed, I want to believe it even more, if just for her sake. If anyone deserves to live in peace and comfort forever and ever in Heaven, it's her.

We gays love Dolly. Have forever. And Dolly loved us. But not just us. She loved lesbians. And transgender people. She loved the poor. The drug addicted. The depressed. Children. The elderly. In short, Dolly loved humanity. Especially those of us that society, in general, might want to ignore or turn away from. Which is why we loved her back. As a young teen, struggling to believe in God when "His people" at church were celebrating getting a gay guy fired, or using their flock to enrich themselves, I was desperate for those lighthouses of love. It was one thing to be loved by your immediate family no matter what, which I was lucky to have, but it's something else when someone who has as huge a presence as Dolly has says they love you, no matter what. And, even better, backs up those words with real action. Especially in a world that can feel so dark and full of people who want to do you harm.

My favorite Dolly albums are Little Sparrow and Halos and Horns. I grew up with a lot of country, some of it Appalachian, as my mom and dad were both born and raised in Kentucky, and we used to go there in the summers when I was younger. The albums that leaned into the folk of that area always spoke to me the deepest. There's a sense of joy, humor, and drama that I recognized from my own family.

When you grow up poor, I think you recognize something in other people who did as well. I think, for some of us, there's a deep sense of gratitude when circumstances change. And, hopefully, a deep hope and desire to see other people taken care of. And, you know, a sense of humor about life. All of those things shone through Dolly, who never pretended to be perfect or better than anyone.

That's why she was the best of us. And why I cried that she's not with us any longer. And why I'm so thankful she was. If you're feeling down today, then do what Dolly would have done. Hug someone you love. Call someone and tell them you love them. Help someone in need, in whatever way you can. Smile at someone. Hold the door open for them. If we all did that, a little more each day, then what a world it'd be. Maybe, finally, it'd be a world worthy of Dolly.