People know Loretta Lynn for her overwhelming generosity. Before she passed away, she would offer places to stay on her ranch when their houses are wrecked by a tornado. Today, her ranch lives on as a beacon of the community. It's just one example of how she treated the people in her life. That goes double for her family.
Recently, Tayla Lynn appears on the 'Rooted Recovery Stories' podcast on Taste of Country. There, she talks about her battles with addiction and times when her stepfather would abuse her as a child. Moreover, she remembers how her paternal grandmother Loretta Lynn would be there for her, even if her father Ernest wasn't. Particularly, she stands up for Tayla when she was being abused.
Loretta Lynn Helps Granddaughter Tayla During Desperate Time of Need
The best thing Loretta does for Tayla at the time is to simply believe she's telling the truth. Additionally, she would help take pictures in order to document the truth of the abuse. "
"My grandmother and my aunt, the most beautiful gift that they could have ever given me," she recalls. "I can remember in my mind, going to their home and them taking pictures of the bruises," she recounts. "and them saying, 'We believe you, we believe you.'"
This proves to be a vicious cycle back then, where Tayla suffers broken ribs and black eyes while her and her mother would regrettably go back home to their abuser. Where most people wouldn't believe Tayla or take her seriously, Loretta always would. "So in my mind, any time I question myself about these things, [I have] that gift of them showing me what it looks like — 'Tayla, look at this, this is true,'" she continues.
It's a real testament to Loretta Lynn's character that she wouldn't merely sweep that kind of abuse under the rug. Rather, she always led with courage to stand up for those in dire straits.