Let's Talk Story Club

Being a teenage girl often meant you spent lots of time hanging with your girls talking about which boys you liked. You would spend countless afternoons talking about whose haircut was cute, and who had a nice smile.

Many generations have passed, and little has changed. Maureen Parker, a beloved grandma, couldn’t hold back when telling her granddaughter about her many boyfriends growing up.

The two them could “not stop giggling” as they bonded over Maureen’s memories of young love.

In May, I had the chance to speak to a kind woman named Marjory. Although I had never met her before, being able to fill out a storybook with her was truly an unforgettable experience. It didn’t matter that we didn’t know each other prior. Talking with her felt very natural.

Throughout the session, Marjory described to me that as a child she often bought candy from a particular candy store during church. In fact, she was at the counter purchasing her favorite Almond Joy when the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on her island of Oahu.

Despite the situation being very serious, we shared a few laughs as we strolled down memory lane together. After the session, we had to say goodbye by enjoying watermelon together.

It was a “sweet” memory for the both of us. I’m looking forward to continuing to complete the book with Majorey.

As a child, most people look forward to growing up. They count the days until they can graduate college, until they can get a job, until they can find the love of their life. They just can’t wait to be older.

But often, younger people spend so much time trying to grow up that they miss out on just enjoying being a kid.

When volunteer Grant interviewed senior Melvin, Melvin stated that he mostly enjoyed looking back upon “his childhood favorites.” While growing up is a wonderful experience, it’s always important to appreciate your childhood.

While our books contain Japanese cultural aspects, it is made for elderly of all races and ethnicities. One beautiful example of this was when our volunteer Marisela interviewed her mother Maria Camberos, a thyroid cancer survivor. Marisela’s son joined the process of filling out the book, and they all spoke in both Spanish and English.

They heard about Maria’s story growing up in a Mexican village and coming to the U.S. as a young bride where she eventually raised four college graduates with her husband. It took tremendous perseverance.

Marisela commented, “I thought I knew all of her stories, but she surprised me with a few I’d never heard before,” said Marisela. “I wanted my son to hear them from her while we still have her.” Using the book, Marisela’s family was able to learn the inspiring story of their loving Maria.

Many seniors, as they grow older, feel more lonely. Socializing, making new friends, and strengthening old friendships can be especially difficult.

Edlyn Yoshida, a senior who is a recent heart recipient, was more quiet about sharing her life story when she first sat down with volunteer Kari . However, using the prompts in the book, Kari was able to get Edlyn to warm up.

“Edlyn began opening up more and more to each question and the flood gates opened!” By the time they finished the book, hours and hours had flown by, and Kari and Edlyn had deeply strengthened their friendship and bond – something both of them did not expect. When questioned, Kari wrote that although she already knew Edlyn prior to “talking story,” the “book gave me the opportunity to learn so much more about Edlyn’s life.” 

One aspect of our Let’s Talk Story book is that it allows volunteers to learn about their own ancestry. By filling out questions about family history, volunteers often discover intriguing information about generations before them.

One volunteer, Levi , recently interviewed his grandma and cancer survivor, Janet Morita.

“I enjoyed learning more about my grandma’s life. She faced a lot more discrimination than I have in my life so far because she lived through the war and internment camp,” he wrote after completing the book. Overall, the book had helped him “connect and document his family history.”

Ben’s Favorite Japanese Word Was an Important Reminder for Us All

Our second Let’s Talk Story Session with Ben was another inspiring experience. Last week, Ben shared with us his favorite Japanese word. I won’t spoil it – please watch the video to find out what it is.

Meeting Nisei World War II Veteran Ben Suechika — the artist and illustrator of our Let’s Talk Story book!

Today we visited Nisei World War II veteran Ben Suechika (age 103) at his senior home in Torrance, California. We wanted to express our gratitude for allowing us to use his paintings as the cover art and illustrations throughout our Let’s Talk Story book. While we were there, we were inspired by his story of living through the Gila River internment camp, and his experience serving in the Military Intelligence Service and being stationed in South Korea.

At the beginning of our session, Mr. Suechika couldn’t remember that he had painted the artwork in the book, or even that he had once enjoyed painting and art at all. However, despite some frustrations about forgetting such significant facts, Mr. Suechika maintained a constant positive attitude, creating jokes that made me genuinely laugh.

Talking story with Mr. Suechika and filling out the questions in the book together was more impactful than I ever imagined, and I felt extremely lucky to be able to do this with such an amazing man. As our session came to a close, I will never forget what happened at the end: Mr. Suechika noticed a painting hanging on the wall in his room and when told, “You painted that too, Ben,” he replied matter-of-factly, “I know.” After our conversation that afternoon, his memory of being a painter and enjoying art came back!

I hope that Let’s Talk Story Club allows my sister and I, and all of our volunteers, to create many more special moments like these.