Dolph became famous in 1960s and '70s, painting barns that he found along the byways of West Tennessee. But as he got older, he started incorporating these small ladders into his work because he saw the ladder as inspirational and uplifting. He would carry them around in his pocket and give them to people saying, "Take this ladder and keep it with you, because every now and then we could all use a little lift."
Dolph also sees the ladder as it stands on two firm legs, but needs the rungs to make it steady. It's a metaphor for life, that we need to reach out to someone else using the rungs, our outreach to another person, in order to form a tool that will help you rise. The more rungs we have where we agree on things, the stronger we are.
In 2021, because of Dolph, the ladder became the state tool of Tennessee because Dolph is right. From time to time, we all need a little lift.
This is Dr. Scott Morris for Church Health.
