Welcome to Mementos, a podcast about the stories behind the objects that evoke memories, connections, emotions. What turns an ordinary object -- a necklace, a t-shirt, a letter -- into a memento? Well, let's talk to people and find out.
Appearing in this episode:
Lori Mortimer, host
Cherie Turner
Homa Sarabi Daumais
Karen Krolak
Steve Nelson
Music by Poddington Bear, Creative Commons Attribution License:
"Caravan"
"Window Shopping"
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:03]
Lori: Hi I'm Lori, and I've made a little podcast. It's called Mementos. In each episode, we're gonna capture the deeper story behind someone's cherished possession.
[00:00:14] If you think about, it a memento could be anything.
[00:00:17]
Karen: It's a periwinkle blue, hand-stitched t-shirt. I made it for my dad, actually. And I remember when I put it on thinking that it felt like this, this hug at a time when you really want to hug from your dad.
[00:00:31]
Lori: Sometimes they’re like time machines zapping us back to another moment and place.
[00:00:37]
Homa: It was super shiny. It was the shiniest thing in the store. And I saw this necklace and was like, this is definitely magical. This should have some magic in it.
[00:00:48]
Lori: Or they can connect us to someone new.
[00:00:51]
Cherie: I received this stack of 33 letters. In his own words, these are his stories about what's going on in his life. It made me feel like I had a grandfather.
[00:01:04]
Lori: Here's a question for you.
Steve: Mmmmhmm.
Lori: The house is on fire.
Steve: Mmmhmm.
Lori: The people and the pets are out.
Steve: Right.
[00:01:11]
Lori: We've grabbed life's essentials. Basically our cell phones and laptops.
Steve: Okay.
[00:01:15]
Lori: You've got 30 seconds. What are you willing to run back inside for?
[00:01:22]
Steve: Maybe the needlework that my mom made. The Frank Lloyd Wright styled one. She's still alive, but it's kind of the top of her game in terms of what she did with it. But also at the stage she's at in life, with her vision and her fine motor skills, there aren't going to be any more. That's something I never want to lose. I always want to have hanging on the wall somewhere.
[00:01:47]
Lori: Little piece of mom.
Steve: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:01:51]
Homa: I think I will always keep it because it's something that my grandma and I went through together. I have brought it to the United States with me. I've kept this necklace and brought it all over to oceans.
[00:02:06]
Cherie: Yeah, it brought him to life for me. And nobody else had done that. And the fact that he got to do that? That was really special.
[00:02:17]
Karen: I keep thinking it has to make it through the rest of my life with me. So I try and save it for days when, like, I know I'm doing something that is really challenging or that I need some extra belief in myself for or I know I just could use some reassurance from my dad.
[00:02:35]
Lori: You know, when it comes to mementos, sometimes what you really keep is on the inside.
Lori: The first episode will be ready in early October. So subscribe now on iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. And join me on social media at mementos podcast. And if you want to learn more about each episode, check out mementos podcast dot com.
[00:03:03]
Lori: Music provided by Poddington Bear under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
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