A triplet whose mom curated a special time capsule for her and her siblings to open when they turned 25 has shared the special moment, and the capsule’s incredible contents, with the world.
Jamie Poepoe lives in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and works as a human resources professional. Jamie’s mom, Lisa, 60, and dad, John, 63, are separated but both live near Charlotte in North Carolina.
“I am one of four kids,” Jamie told The Epoch Times. “The triplets—Scotty, Jonnie, and Jamie (in birth order)—are 25 years old, and we have an older sister, Jessie, who'll be 27 in June. ... My triplet brother and I are the only two left in Pittsburgh.”
When Jamie was a child, her mother began compiling a time capsule to give her kids on their 25th birthday. Jamie vividly recalls staring at this mystery box on a shelf above her brother’s closet growing up and never quite believed the time would come to open it. But ahead of the triplets’ birthday on April 21 this year, the time was right.
“My older sister, Jessie, had one of her own, and the triplets had one to share,” Jamie said. “When we left for college, I forgot about the time capsule. We chose to open the capsule a week before our birthday, as it would be the only time in April that we would almost be all together.”
With their triplet sister, Jonnie, in a different state preparing to move for work, Jamie and Scotty opened the time capsule by themselves with Jonnie on FaceTime. Jamie recorded the special moment.
“I wanted to be able to remember that moment forever and replay it when we wanted to,” she said.
The time capsule comprised a wealth of treasures from the triplets’ childhood, including letters from family members and close family friends, baby clothes and toys, and even a videotape. Mom Lisa’s love and care was evident throughout.
Jamie said: “My mom wrote multiple letters to us. ... In one letter, she shared that she chose for us triplets to have one time capsule instead of three in the hopes that it would bring us together on our birthday. She chose the age 25 since it was a very pivotal point in her life; she knew we would have made multiple big life decisions by now, and were about to make many, many more.
“There were bibs from our first birthday party, onesies my mom made with our names on them, hats from the hospital when we were first born, crystal cross pendants, a newspaper from April 21, 1998, customized wine bottles from our baby shower, customized baby shoes that had our names on the sole of one shoe and our birthday on the other, beanie babies and dolls that we had loved, and a half-dollar for each of us from our grandpa.”
For Jamie, the letters went straight to her heart and the objects prompted deep nostalgia.
“In one letter from my uncle Mike, he described pop culture in 1998 and the ‘world wide web’ becoming relevant,” Jamie said. “Our family had described what our house was like with multiple infants and a toddler: diapers stacked from the floor to the ceiling, toddler toys all over, cribs, car seats, boosters, strollers, crying!
“My mom had written almost ten letters to us. My favorite was where she described all of our personalities, even as young as one year old. The part that resonated with me the most was where she noted that, throughout our 25 years, she was certain we had spent our lives being compared to one another in school, sports, appearances, everything ... but she had vowed to always see us as our own unique individuals.”
The siblings were “laughing, smiling, and shedding happy tears” as they opened the time capsule. They even laughed at the capsule’s scrappy appearance, and “perfectionist” mom, Lisa, explained that she had been too overwhelmed with four children under the age of three to make the box more beautiful.
“Between breastfeeding, changing diapers, a husband who was a pilot, and a toddler who needed to be constantly entertained, she had her hands full,” Jamie said. “[I]t was a miracle she remembered to keep those items safe to compile them into the capsule.”
Jamie was so touched by the time capsule, which remains at her mom’s house in North Carolina, that she vows to create something similar for her future children.
“As we get older, coming together has become harder and harder,” Jamie said. “Seeing the capsule made me feel like the time we spent all together in the same household went by so quickly, and I wish I had not taken it for granted.
“Reading all of the letters back was extremely emotional and put how much our parents love us into perspective. The fact that they took time to set items aside to keep for 25 years, and moved it across states, was incredible!”
