This week on 7 Minute Stories, Aaron reflects on loss, legacy, and the fragile weight of being human.

From the passing of cultural icons like James Van Der Beek and Robert Duvall to the deeply personal grief of losing his uncle and cousin—both Cleveland firefighters who ran toward danger for a living—this episode explores the difference between distant loss and the kind that reshapes you.

Recorded on Ash Wednesday, “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust” wrestles with mortality, memory, and a question Aaron first asked at age 12: When the body stops, does everything stop? Or are we more like radios—receivers of something that continues beyond us?

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The 7MS Team:

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

*Image: "Fleeing a dust storm". Farmer Arthur Coble and sons walking in the face of a dust storm, Cimmaron County, Oklahoma. Arthur Rothstein, photographer, April, 1936. (Library of Congress)

*Music:

Scotland the Brave Roie Shpigler, Ziggy

Used under paid license via Artlist.io.

Special Thanks: Shannon Baker

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife