Keepsake Chronicles

Not Today Media

A storytelling podcast about the keepsakes we hold onto and the memories, emotions, and connections they carry. Because sometimes, a keepsake isn’t just a thing, it’s a whole life in your hand.

  1. JUL 18

    Cynthia's Gauntlets

    Holding the weight of love, war, and what we never knew There are some objects that don’t just tell a story — they reveal one. In this deeply moving episode, we sit down with Cynthia Raleigh to explore the unexpected discovery of her father's World War II flight helmet and gauntlets. Tucked away in the attic of her mother’s home, these weathered pieces of leather surfaced decades after the war — relics of a father who flew a P51 over Germany, survived a ground-to-air missile strike, and quietly carried the scars of a story never fully told. Cynthia shares the moment she found them. The silence that followed. The questions she never thought to ask. And the emotional weight of holding history — not from a textbook, but from the hands of her own family. Together, we talk about: * What it means to inherit a legacy you didn’t know you carried * How silence shapes memory just as much as storytelling * The way physical objects become portals to the past — and to parts of ourselves * Honoring the quiet courage of the ones who came before us This episode is about more than war or keepsakes. It’s about healing, reflection, and the moments that stitch us back to our roots in the most unexpected ways. Take a breath. Settle in. And listen closely — because this story lives in the details. Connect with Cynthia Raleigh HERE If you loved this story, subscribe to Keepsake Chronicles for more intimate conversations about the objects we hold onto and the stories that hold onto us. Want to share your own keepsake story? We’d love to hear from you. Visit nottodaymedia.com/keepsake to submit your story. Join our community of curious minds: fragilemoments.org/community Leave a comment about the episode HERE Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠ We also make ⁠What's Your Story?⁠ and ⁠Come Back To Earth.⁠ Get full access to Keepsake Chronicles at keepsakechronicles.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min
  2. Deborah's China

    JUL 4

    Deborah's China

    What does it mean to treasure something simply because someone before you did? In this tender and reflective episode, Deborah Carl shares the story of a delicate set of Desert Rose china — not just porcelain, but a piece of family mythology. A young woman — her grandmother — heads west to marry a pilot-in-training before he deploys to North Africa. Along the way, she buys china she’ll ship back across the country… only to learn she could’ve bought it closer to home. But this story isn’t about convenience — it’s about intention, memory, and how the things we carry with us carry us in return. Deborah, the eldest granddaughter, chose the set of dishes patterned with roses — ones she loved as a child. As an adult, though, it’s the layered stories they hold that matter most. Join us as we trace the quiet path of legacy through a set of floral china and discover how what’s left behind often says more than what’s spoken aloud. Connect with Deborah Carl HERE In This Episode: * Why her grandmother bought a set of china out west before marriage * The soft, sometimes silly family stories that become sacred over time * The difference between what we inherit and what we choose to keep * How objects become anchors to the people and histories we’re still trying to understand What happens when the “prettiest” thing in the room turns out to hold the heaviest meaning If you loved this story, subscribe to Keepsake Chronicles for more intimate conversations about the objects we hold onto and the stories that hold onto us. Want to share your own keepsake story? We’d love to hear from you. Visit nottodaymedia.com/keepsake to submit your story. Join our community of curious minds: fragilemoments.org/community Leave a comment about the episode HERE Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠ We also make ⁠What's Your Story?⁠ and ⁠Come Back To Earth.⁠ Get full access to Keepsake Chronicles at keepsakechronicles.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
  3. Aryn's Locked Doors

    JUN 20

    Aryn's Locked Doors

    What do we do with the stories we were never told? In this haunting and tender episode, Aryn Youngless shares her journey into a quiet corner of her family’s past — one sealed shut for most of her life. After learning that her grandmother had been disowned, Aryn began the slow, careful work of picking through records, piecing together fragments, and breathing life into a branch of her family tree that had gone still and silent. With no photographs, no heirlooms, and only the sparse memories her grandmother shared near the end of her life, Aryn stepped into the unknown — and found something much deeper than she expected. This is a story about fractured legacies, buried histories, and the courage it takes to open a locked door in the house of your past… not knowing what you’ll find inside. Connect with Aryn Youngless HERE 🧩 In This Episode: * The emotional weight of family silence * What it means to be disowned — and how that shapes generations * Researching ancestry through fragments and official records * Discovering belonging in the overlooked corners of lineage * The quiet, powerful pull of curiosity and care If you found something true in this story — a familiar silence, a remembered feeling, a door you’ve been meaning to open — we hope you’ll stay. Subscribe for more stories that hold memory, mystery, and meaning. And if you’re feeling generous, leave a review or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠ Leave a comment about the episode HERE Donate to the Fragile Moments Community to support our work. Learn more and sign up here. Share your own keepsake story HERE We also make ⁠What's Your Story?⁠ and ⁠Come Back To Earth.⁠ Get full access to Keepsake Chronicles at keepsakechronicles.substack.com/subscribe

    28 min
5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A storytelling podcast about the keepsakes we hold onto and the memories, emotions, and connections they carry. Because sometimes, a keepsake isn’t just a thing, it’s a whole life in your hand.