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Sean Dietrich Articles

All the purty horses

BY SEAN DIETRICH The day before New Year’s Eve. I was stuck in Birmingham rush hour. A ten-mile line of standstill traffic stretched before me. It looked like I wouldn’t be getting home until sometime around the next papal installation.The Dodge truck beside me towed...
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The Giving Tree

BY SEAN DIETRICH Merry Christmas, Layla Grace. I got your name from the church Christmas tree. It’s kind of like Angel Tree, where you buy gifts for kids whose names are on the tree.Your card was hanging on the branch when I was walking through the lobby. I was...
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Christmas Prayers

The side-of-the-highway café was decorated for Christmas. Plastic balsam trees on formica tables. Beside the napkin dispenser, a nutcracker soldier with a Sharpie graphic drawn on his unmentionables, lending new meaning to the unfortunate soldier’s station in...
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Sean of the South

Relax, you're going to be okay You’re going to be okay. That’s not an opinion. It’s not a guess. This isn’t some trite little catchphrase from some crappy motivational book that reads like it was written by a greasy televangelist.You’re going to be okay. It’s the...
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The Little Girl

The Little Girl

Aug 11, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH There once was a little girl who lived in a tiny town, in the far off land of south Alabama. A beautiful little girl. A girl with...

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The Little Girl

GOOD

Aug 4, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH A retired professor sent me a letter. He told me that some of my stories were “too plain,” and “needed more work.” Then he went on...

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The Little Girl

Lil’ Towns

Jul 28, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH It’s late morning in Brewton, Alabama. Sunlight peeks over the trees. A distant train whistle whines. The scent of the nearby paper...

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The Little Girl

WORDS

Jul 22, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH “Don’t kiss a girl without being prepared to give her your last name.” My granny said that. My father gave me this one: “If you so...

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The Little Girl

The Patient

Jul 15, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH They tell me Mrs. Simpson was a small, soft-spoken 90-pound woman without family. And that’s how this story begins. The lonely,...

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The Little Girl

Mamas

Jul 7, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH I watched one of those TV award shows last night. You know the kind I mean. The award ceremonies where celebrities you’ve never...

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The Little Girl

Fireworks Under a Full Moon

Jun 30, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH Fire 9:02 p.m. — My wife and I parked beside the bay, facing the water, to watch the fireworks. I hear the distant sound of...

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The Little Girl

Morning Walks with Harold

Jun 23, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH What I am about to tell you is going to sound ridiculous. So, I won’t blame you if you speak ill of me. All I ask is that you do it...

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The Little Girl

Ribs and Okra

Jun 16, 2021

By SEAN DIETRICH There are about 5,240 folks living in the town of Brewton. Although last week someone had twins. So, now there are more. This...

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