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Sean Dietrich Articles

People next door

OPINION — Marie was a Waffle-House waitress with two kids. She smoked like a fish, worked like a trail horse, and was self-conscious about her teeth.Several of us fellas used to visit her every weekday morning for breakfast.Once she showed me a bronze token.“I’ve been...
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It’s Girl Scout season

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION —It’s Girl Scout-cookie season again, which traditionally begins right after deer season, and is followed by Lent.This is the time of year when words like “Samoas,” “Shortbread Trefoils,” “Do-si-dos,” and “Tagalongs” become household names. A...
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Newsboy

OPINION — Newspapers have a smell. If you’re lucky enough to find a newspaper in our digital world, you’ll notice the smell first. Fresh newsprint paper. SoySeal ink. Still warm. It’s a unique scent.I grew up throwing newspapers. Not on a bicycle. My mother and I...
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Brother John

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Pineview Street. A nondescript house. Off-white. One story. Nothing fancy. Nice neighborhood. Manicured lawns.On the back of the house is a newly built wheelchair ramp. I knocked on the door. The caregiver answered.Inside, the first thing...
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I’ll Fly Away

I’ll Fly Away

Jan 13, 2021

By Sean Dietrich I thought about you this morning, Miss Margaret. When I heard the Carter Family sing “I’ll Fly Away” on the radio, you were in my...

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I’ll Fly Away

I Want

Jan 6, 2021

By Sean Dietrich A newsroom. I was in my mid-20s. Unruly red hair. Big nose. A necktie that was suffocating me. Don’t ask me how, but I had a job...

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I’ll Fly Away

The Old Year

Dec 30, 2020

By Sean Dietrich A nameless town. A tiny place you’ve never heard of. One without a stoplight. It’s a place so small that when you dial a wrong...

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I’ll Fly Away

Thy Tender Care

Dec 23, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Her elderly father sits in a wheelchair in front of a television. It’s an old console TV. The kind every American family had back...

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I’ll Fly Away

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Dec 16, 2020

By Sean Dietrich In Bethlehem last night only 50 people attended the annual tree-lighting ceremony. Thanks to new COVID restrictions, West Bank’s...

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I’ll Fly Away

The Newest Arrival

Dec 9, 2020

By Sean Dietrich People always said there would be no tears in this place. When she was still living on Earth, everyone said this. Preachers said...

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I’ll Fly Away

My Angel Bud

Dec 2, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Yesterday I received several emails after I mentioned my guardian angel, Bud, in a recent column. One of the emails read: “Are you...

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I’ll Fly Away

Cracker Barrel

Nov 25, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Cracker Barrel, 6:39 P.M. — we are sitting at a table for our pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal. I am with my wife, my elderly...

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I’ll Fly Away

Jigsaw

Nov 18, 2020

By Sean Dietrich Ibought a jigsaw puzzle at the grocery store today. The box features an ornate cathedral with red roses and blossoming foliage. The...

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