I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you. That’s it.
You don’t get thanked nearly enough for all you do. And I’m here to correct that. Even if only for a few moments. I hope you know how grateful we all are.
And by “we all,” I mean us. The whole human race. So thank you. We appreciate you.
Thank you to the old man in Walmart who was in the self-checkout lane when he paid for a young Latina woman’s groceries after her card was rejected.
Thank you to the teenage boy who bounced his screaming baby sister on his hip while paramedics loaded his mother into an ambulance on the interstate. I passed the accident on the way home. It was awful. Police cars everywhere.
Thank you to the officer who took the crying baby into his arms and held her against his chest while the teenage boy crawled into the ambulance with his mother.
Thank you to the elderly man who helped change a flat tire for six older men stranded on I-285 outside Atlanta.
The man who changed the tire never knew he was helping a carload of six former inmates who recently moved into transitional halfway housing; who, even though they are now sober, law-abiding citizens, are unemployed, and largely unimportant to those around them.
Thank you, whoever you are, for faking like you’re in a good mood for your kids, even though your heart is broken.
Thank you for caregiving for your husband/wife/mom/dad/son/daughter/relative/stranger.
God bless all who change the diapers of adult patients in nursing homes, and do it in such a way that there is no loss of dignity for either party.
Thank you for supporting your local musicians. Thanks for ordering an extra beer and placing an extra tip in the jar before requesting “Freebird” as a joke because you think you are being original.
Thank you for tipping your waitress. You might have no idea what it’s like to live on tips. You might have no clue what it feels like to be forced to reduce yourself to being cheerful toward restaurant customers in hopes of earning enough ones and fives to pay your bills and, God willing, to send your daughter on her senior class trip.
Thank you all who helped your communities in the aftermath of the mass shootings that received less coverage than the Uvalde disaster.
Thank you to the people the world never saw on TV. The people that John Q. Public forgot about.
To the hometown preachers in Buffalo, New York, who were called upon to deliver eulogies, sermons, and homegoing services for the 10 who were killed.
To the local government employees who cried behind closed doors because they cannot unsee the grisly images they spent all day looking at in Tops Supermarket on Buffalo’s East Side.
Thank you to the crime-scene workers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who picked up the pieces in the wake of a shooting which killed four—three of whom were hospital staffers.
Thank you to the funeral homes who handled final preparations for Doctor Stephanie Husen, Doctor Preston Phillips, receptionist, Amanda Glenn and William Love, who lost their lives when a gunman entered Saint Francis Hospital.
Lastly, thank you to those in Uvalde who helped their neighbors during a hailstorm of anguish while we Americans were busy arguing with each other.
Thank you to the people at Uvalde Memorial Hospital. To the doctors, nurses, medical staffers, cafeteria workers, cooks, dishwashers, delivery drivers, hospital custodians, maintenance persons, medical receptionists, volunteers, chaplains, and everyone else who keeps that place running.
Thank you to Uvalde’s EMTs, first responders, fire-medics, deputies, peace officers, dispatchers, traffic directors, squad-car mechanics, Border Patrol agents, FBI workers, and all the faceless cops who worked triple, quadruple, and quintuple shifts, operating on no sleep and intravenous caffeine.
To local mothers who watched neighborhood kids, while kids’ parents worked overtime to help their little town.
Thank you to all who were charged with the awful task of using mops and buckets to clean up the crime-scene aftermath at Robb Elementary.
To the gophers who picked up takeout pizza for all the emergency workers.
To the people who did their work for no attention, no vainglory, no media exposure, and who chose not to allow their faces to be plastered all over social while they dutifully practiced their goodwill.
And thank you, whoever you are. Thank you for waking up today even though you didn’t sleep great last night. Thank you for doing your work, and doing it well.
Thank you for loving your neighbors, your coworkers, your townspeople, relatives and enemies, even when you don’t feel like it.
You might never know how lovely you make this world simply by being in it.
78 comments
MAM - June 5, 2022 4:01 am
And Thank You, Sean, for how lovely you make this world by writing about the good people around all of us every day, who never receive thanks. Your words are a balm to wounded and unforgotten souls!
Lynn B. - June 5, 2022 4:03 am
Amen.
Jan - June 5, 2022 4:04 am
Thank you, Sean. Thank YOU.
Joe Call - June 5, 2022 4:07 am
Thank you, Sean, for reminding me of all of the people I’m grateful for.
Jesse Peel - June 5, 2022 4:10 am
Thank you Sean for reminding us that there are good people out there
Mary Douglas - June 5, 2022 4:22 am
Thank You, Sean, for remembering all of the unsung heroes and heroines who gave their time and caring to help in these unspeakable tragedies.
Jan - June 5, 2022 4:23 am
Yes, thank you to all who serve others with love and patience.
PH - June 5, 2022 4:28 am
Thank you Sean for Uvalde.
Karla Wedel - June 5, 2022 4:36 am
And Thank You, Sean of the South, for reminding us to not take life/love/thankfulness for granted!
Lucinda Gentry - June 5, 2022 4:38 am
Thank You Sean
Beverly Meyer - June 5, 2022 4:47 am
Uvalde is my home town. My son and his wife live there. He is a deputy in a neighboring county. One of those who worked multiple shifts to help. Thank you for this post!
pattymack43 - June 5, 2022 4:47 am
And THANK YOU to you, as well, for the gentle reminder that you never can say “THANK YOU” too many times. Blessings!!
Margaret - June 5, 2022 4:57 am
There is no way I can thank YOU enough for reminding me of the generosity of spirit in most of those around me.
Deborah Tomlin - June 5, 2022 5:01 am
Amen!
Melanie Ayres Merryweather - June 5, 2022 5:09 am
And thank you for always reminding us of the good in people in these times of unrest, lack of civility and overwhelming ugliness that has gripped our beautiful America. You and these unsung heroes give us hope
Joni - June 5, 2022 7:17 am
Amen!
Babs - June 5, 2022 7:44 am
And Thank you, Sean
Jack - June 5, 2022 9:07 am
Thank you Sean for being and sharing yourself. Thank you God for giving us Sean.
Virginia Russell - June 5, 2022 10:02 am
Thank you, too.
imcdbw - June 5, 2022 11:01 am
Yes. So many times, yes.
You’re a good man, Sean Dietrich.
Ed (Bear) - June 5, 2022 11:07 am
Thank you Sean for writing about good. And special thanks to you for making this world such a very lovely place!
Bobbie Gordner - June 5, 2022 11:09 am
And Thank YOU, Sean for being “here”!
Nancy L Heitzman - June 5, 2022 11:22 am
And thank you to Lisa K who mentioned you on Facebook. Thank you, Dear God, that I found Sean to help me remember how grateful I am to You.
Teri Easterling - June 5, 2022 11:29 am
So true! I add my thanks as well!
Susan - June 5, 2022 11:33 am
Thank you for always reminding us of the good in people♥️♥️
Maria Sullivan - June 5, 2022 11:34 am
thank you! for being an empathetic, compassionate person. you bring joy, awareness and love.
Cheryl Newsome - June 5, 2022 11:39 am
Thank you for the thank yous. They are words too seldom heard lately.
Becky Thomas - June 5, 2022 11:48 am
Thank you for bringing everyday a moment of emotional joy or grief, words that point outside of myself. Reminders that the world is bigger than just me and my tribe. Your words are amazing. Thank you!
Marilyn - June 5, 2022 11:53 am
Thank you, Sean for reminding us to have an attitude of gratitude, which will help keep us in the right frame of mind.
Debi - June 5, 2022 11:53 am
Thank you. Two words that bind up broken hearts and provide motivation to take one more step.
Vivian Holmes - June 5, 2022 11:56 am
Thank you, Sean, for your appreciation of human kind and your encouraging words. And don’t forget those in the funeral homes, the embalmers, those sweet souls who have to prepare all those precious bodies to be laid to rest. Oh how their hearts must heart.
Shirlea - June 5, 2022 12:05 pm
I believe that God has put you here on planet earth, writing as you do, reminding us of the goodness and love, “for such a time as this”. Thank you, Sean.
Mike - June 5, 2022 12:06 pm
Thank you for making the start of each of my days a little better
janet - June 5, 2022 12:12 pm
And thank you for reminding us of what’s important.
Cynthia Sand - June 5, 2022 12:28 pm
Thank you for you, Sean. You light a path for us in the deep darkness of the forest. For sharing your heart in each and every story. You are a blessing in my life each and every morning. Muchas,muchas gracias.
Mary C. Sirmon - June 5, 2022 12:44 pm
Amen and amen!
Marilyn - June 5, 2022 12:45 pm
Thank you, Sean for reminding me to have an “attitude of gratitude” to make my day go more smoothly.
Susan Denney - June 5, 2022 12:47 pm
Amen!
Susan - June 5, 2022 12:48 pm
Heartwarming & heartbreaking; perfectly presented; deeply moving- thank YOU!
MaryPage Jones - June 5, 2022 12:56 pm
Bless you, Sean, for reminding us to thank everyone all the time. Thank you for that. Thank you for putting names and faces on all 19 children in the two adults. Thank you for bringing us up-to-date on them. Thank you for caring. Thank you for loving. Thank you for putting it into words pieces for us to read.
Ruth Mitchell - June 5, 2022 1:25 pm
Thank you for the reminders and for your own caring.
STEVE MOORE WATKINS - June 5, 2022 1:37 pm
Thank you.
Emily Walls Ray - June 5, 2022 1:41 pm
Sean, your column today hits the mark in thanking the Everyman/Everywoman who lives, loves, and acts because it’s the right thing to do, and because we are charged to live our neighbor. My pastor did a sermon on “ who is my neighbor” that was thought provoking and a bit surprising. Thanking your readers who practice loving on a daily basis, quietly, with no aim for applause, is a nice way of perpetuating that. Em
Cilla - June 5, 2022 1:45 pm
And thanks to you, Sean, for reminding us of all the good deeds going on in the world. We mostly hear about the bad stuff, not the good.
Suellen - June 5, 2022 1:55 pm
Thank you to the essential workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic including my daughter-in-law who works at a care home and caught Covid twice. She may have irreversible lung damage now at 28. Also both of my sons who are in the grocery business and had to show up to work every day and be yelled at for the shelves being empty. They were working and restocking as quickly as they could but supply chain issues are beyond their control. Also to my Pastors who had to bury too many of their friends in the last two years. Instead of 3 or 4 funerals a year it was in the dozens. And thank you Sean for bringing light to our world every day.
Bubba - June 5, 2022 1:58 pm
No, THANK YOU! Thank you for giving us a daily dose of reality, confidence, strength, enthusiasm and common sense.
cuhullen - June 5, 2022 2:14 pm
And also to you.
DiAn - June 5, 2022 2:40 pm
And – Thank You, Sean, for actually taking the time to write out the Thank You note we all know needed to be written and delivered to all those so kindly mentioned in your column.
We all know at least one of those kind souls. So many Thanks to you Sean in your new home and home town & city – a fine city with a long tradition of hard work, order, generosity and Love.
Long may you and Jamie thrive there. Bless you both and Thank you again! – with Love – DiAn
Freda - June 5, 2022 2:44 pm
Thank you Sean for reminding us of the good.
Kay Quinton - June 5, 2022 2:57 pm
This was much needed, Sean!
Continue to write those words that some of us don’t know how to say….❤️❤️
Susie Flick - June 5, 2022 3:30 pm
Sean, thank you for reminding us all to be thankful and say “thank you”.
David cone - June 5, 2022 3:41 pm
Amen
CHARALEEN WRIGHT - June 5, 2022 3:42 pm
❤️
Steven Rafferty - June 5, 2022 3:49 pm
AMEN!!
James Key - June 5, 2022 4:09 pm
Why bring race into your columns at every (unnecessary) chance you get?
Evelyn Mann-Wilder - June 5, 2022 8:31 pm
I read him every morning and I see no evidence of that. None. At. All.
Patricia Gibson - June 5, 2022 4:18 pm
Amen🙏Thank you! Thank you!!
Connie - June 5, 2022 4:20 pm
And thank you for being you. Regardless of the comment above about race (I’m confused because I didn’t see that so he must be just a hater) you are always loving and kind. Hugs.
LIN ARNOLD - June 5, 2022 4:24 pm
And thank you for just being you!
Linda Moon - June 5, 2022 4:56 pm
God Bless you two — Sean and Jamie Dietrich. The last paragraph here in this post is for both of you from me, with Love.
Cathy McGregor - June 5, 2022 5:28 pm
Thank you, Sean, for your daily reminders of the people all around us caught up in horrific circumstances, for the uplifting messages of those who help all who are suffering, and also for the sweet stories is the sweet people living in this world. You are using the talent God gave you in a spectacular way and I am so glad my friend told me about you. God bless you.
Pat Price - June 5, 2022 5:37 pm
patprice46@yahoo.com
Virginia westlake - June 5, 2022 6:13 pm
Thank YOU for this moving message. I feel like I do so little.
Peggy Windham - June 5, 2022 6:40 pm
Thank you Sean for reminding us through your writing that there are still good people in this world. I so love reading your column especially now when there are so many tragic things happening in our world.
Bettye - June 5, 2022 8:28 pm
This is what I needed to hear at this very moment. Tradgidy just struck our family today. Thank you for such wise words .
Ruth Taylor - June 5, 2022 8:32 pm
Thank you for reminding us of the healing power of gratitude.
William Lowe - June 5, 2022 10:10 pm
I never put the tip on my credit card. I always tip in cash. The wait staff does not receive all of the tip put on your credit card.
Linda Arnall - June 5, 2022 10:39 pm
Enjoyed hearing you speak in Newnan. “Robert di Nero” aka Gov. Ellis Arnall was a cousin of my husbands!
Jody - June 6, 2022 12:10 am
Thank you for reminding us to care
Dottie Coltrane - June 6, 2022 2:46 am
Sean, I read this essay at the end of a very hard week. Everybody I know is worn out with all the violence. And with guns being easier to buy (even by kids who just turned 18) in some states than a box of Sudafed at the drugstore. I would add one more person to your list of unsung heroes: the older sister of the 18 year old in Uvalde, Texas, who refused to buy a gun for him.
Connie - June 6, 2022 10:40 am
It is a blessing and I look forward to begin my days with your column. Thank you for sharing your God given talents to make His world a better place. Continued blessings to you and Jami.
Billie Bandstra - June 6, 2022 1:43 pm
And thanks to you Sean, for expressing our feelings so well.
Keloth Anne - June 6, 2022 3:22 pm
Yes—so many wonderful people/necessary workers never get a thank you — they do it for the love in their hearts, their angelic spirits and the joy it brings 🥰🥰
And thank you, Sean, for always finding the best in folks and making our days so much brighter ♥️♥️
Krista - June 6, 2022 9:11 pm
Thank YOU.<3
suzi - June 7, 2022 12:40 am
Thank you for recognizing the ordinary extraordinary folks in our world
Terry 7001 lake run drive Birmingham 35242. You and Jaimie continue to amaze and humble me, I have the utmost respect and Love for you both and what you do - June 7, 2022 12:44 am
Thank for this this post for unsung heros
Kathy. - June 7, 2022 12:58 am
Thank you for seeing us.
Brenda from GA - June 11, 2022 5:41 pm
Thank you for making sure the good guys get the thanks they deserve! My heart goes out to everyone affected by the horrible acts of anger and madness.