We first became acquainted with Sean Dietrich’s writing a year ago. My wife loved his “Sean of the South” blog posts and often laughed and cried when she read them.
“You have to read this post about angels”, she said.
“Ok, I’ll be sure to read it.”
“Did you read Sean Dietrich’s article about angels yet?” she asked a few days later.
“No, but I will,” I said.
When I finally read the story, I was in tears. Sean is an excellent communicator and has a real gift for touching hearts. He really loves people.
Over the last year, we have continued to follow Sean and enjoy his stories. He is, I think, what some would call “an old soul”. He has been a writer since school days, but the depth of his understanding of life goes way beyond his years.
Early this fall, we learned Sean was going to be in Franklin, Tennessee for a show. Mary immediately began planning for us to go. After all, we have a son and his family who live in town, but when we tried to get tickets, we found the show was already sold out! We were so disappointed!
Mary wanted to give an Up North Flannel to Sean and his wife, Jamie. She just knew they would love them. Since we weren’t able to go, Mary sent a note to Jamie through their social media. She explained the situation and asked for their sizes so we could send the flannels to them. We didn’t expect a personal response, thinking they probably have a publicist who handles their correspondence.
Just a few days later, Mary received a personal note from Jamie Dietrich. We couldn’t believe it!
“I love that you up-cycle these shirts and give them new life! You are so sweet and we will love them!” Jamie wrote. She then included sizes and mailing information.
She continued, “Also, if you were serious about coming to the show in Franklin, I have a couple extra tickets and I can’t think of anyone better to give them to than two people who are willing to drive from Michigan to Tennessee to see Sean’s show!”
We were like two kids on Christmas morning, tears and laughter! Mary wrote back, “Oh my goodness, we will be there! Thank you very much!”
We drove to Franklin, Tennessee, and on Sunday, October 30, we saw Sean and Jamie Dietrich in person. We were also privileged to meet Marigold, their beautiful black and brown hound dog. Marigold is blind and adorable.
We’ve been to Franklin many times and always enjoy it, but especially spending time with our grandchildren. In fact, a few years ago we seriously considered moving there. We’re still at home in Michigan.
This was our second show at the beautiful Franklin Theater. The first time was several years ago when we all went to see the old scary classic, “Jaws!”
The theater was full of enthusiastic Sean of the South fans. It was very obvious that Sean’s love for people is being given back to him.
In the first half of the show, Sean was interviewed by sisters who have a podcast called, “The Steel Magnolias”. It was funny and personal as Sean answered questions about his life and experiences as a writer, husband, and dog lover.
Sean introduced Jamie and Marigold to the crowd. Marigold wanted to stay near Sean and was a little shy, hearing the loving response of the audience.
Sean is an amazing story teller. Some have called him a young Mark Twain. With a deep south accent, his constant smile, and willingness to laugh at himself, he quickly draws folks into his inner circle. It was as if we were all sitting around a fire in their back yard in Birmingham, Alabama, listening to personal stories. Incredible.
Sean sang a couple old songs and played his guitar beautifully. Near the end of the show, he sang several old Sunday school songs, and the entire crowd joined him in singing. It was wonderful to hear everyone reminiscing together. Perhaps that’s the secret of Sean of the South. He’s able to help us step back for a while and breathe.
At the end of the show, we waited in line to meet Sean. He hugged many folks, talked with everyone, signed their books, and stood with them for pictures.
When it was our turn, Mary hugged Sean and said, “We’re Dale and Mary Parsons from Michigan. We sent the Up North Flannels.”
“Oh my gosh! I love my flannel! I wear it all the time! I have one in my hotel room! You guys came all the way from Michigan?!” he said.
We talked for several moments and thanked Sean and Jamie for the tickets.
We told Sean we want him to come to Michigan. He travels all over the south, speaking to large and small groups. Recently, Sean has been delivering copies of his new book, “You Are My Sunshine”, to free libraries.
We think bringing Sean to Michigan for a show tour is a wonderful idea!
If you are not familiar with Sean of the South, you will find him at https://seandietrich.com/ he is also on Facebook and Instagram.
I promise you, once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop!
Thanks, Sean and Jamie, for a great night!
Oh, and, about driving to Franklin, Tennessee to see Sean Dietrich? I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
A Coffee State of Mind 