Sean Dietrich Articles

Columnists’ Day

BY SEAN DIETRICH I didn’t believe him. I thought he was pulling my leg or similar appendage. I was at the airport bar. He told me April 18 was National Columnists’ Day.“Surely you’re joking,” I said.“Nope,” he said. “And don’t call me Shirley.”The bartender pulled us...

About today

Hi. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. We’re strangers. But we’re the same, sort of. Only chances are, you drive a nicer car than I do. In fact I guarantee you drive a nicer car.I drive a 25-year-old truck. The tailgate is rusted, there is a prodigious layer of dog...

Easter

BY SEAN DIETRICH A few years ago I attended my first Catholic mass in a busy church outside Birmingham. It was Easter Sunday. I sat in the nosebleed section.People greeted me with the words, “He’s risen.”And because I was not raised under a rock, I answered with:...

Dollar General

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — The following actually happened. In a major American city. A guy emailed me about it.A young woman is in Dollar General. A mother of two. Shopping. She has her kids in tow. They are dressed in ragged clothes that look like they’ve been...
The Fighter

The Fighter

By SEAN DIETRICH The email on my screen reads: “Dear Sean, my oldest grandchild, Bryson, is 11 years old and was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma,...

read more
The Fighter

Christmas Tunes

By SEAN DIETRICH The last thing I want to do is sound like an old fart. But some things cannot be helped. Yesterday I was fiddling with my truck...

read more
The Fighter

You Got This

By SEAN DIETRICH Let’s talk about confidence. Self-confidence. Not the corny brand of confidence found in many self-help books where you repeat a...

read more
The Fighter

The Holiday Spirit

By SEAN DIETRICH Hi. This is your late loved one speaking. I don’t have long, so listen up because I have a lot I want to tell you. First off, I get...

read more
The Fighter

The Holiday Spirit

By SEAN DIETRICH I pushed open the door to the rural restaurant and the little bell above the door jingled. I had been on the road since six that...

read more
The Fighter

Atlanta

By SEAN DIETRICH Dear kid, I wish you could’ve been there. You are reading this letter in the far-off future, long after I am dead and scattered....

read more
The Fighter

A Kid’s Game

By SEAN DIETRICH Game Three of the World Series is on television. I’m sitting outside on my porch with a cat in my lap. It’s chilly outside. I’m...

read more
The Fighter

Americana

By SEAN DIETRICH They are holding hands. I like it when young couples hold hands. I don’t see many kids do this very often anymore. They are sitting...

read more
The Fighter

Goodbye, Miss Betty

By SEAN DIETRICH Right now I am watching “The Andy Griffith Show” on TV. This episode is one of my favorites. Barney joins the choir, but his...

read more