If it’s true that “home is wherever you leave everything you love and never question that it will be there when you return,” then Papa’s place does not feel like the home it once was; he’s not there anymore.

So, the place went up for sale, and on September 24, 2020, the keys were officially turned over to a new owner: Jeff Gilson.

When my mom moved into that house in 1986, she was a second-grader who referred to the place as “The Badlands” because of the racism displayed by much of the neighborhood and surrounding community. Hence, not every memory there was a happy one, but my family made that house a home despite the discrimination, and over time, those walls held many stories of pride, resilience, triumph, and joy.

Luckily, those stories did not get sold with the house, but it was still hard to say goodbye… Mom says it feels like the end of an era. And maybe that’s true in some ways, but I also believe these stories are still being written, and I trust that my grandparents live on as we love on.