Situated on a private cul-de-sac in West St. Louis County, this charming ranch style house on Mackinac Drive is no ordinary property for sale. It’s my childhood home, built rock solid on a half-acre lot and filled with memories that now echo throughout the empty rooms.

A few months ago, my mom moved out of the house on Mackinac and into The Hallmark, a senior living community that she will never call home, but it will have to do. Since then, I meticulously packed up every single piece of furniture, artwork, dish, glass, utensil, vase, photo album, clothing, down blanket, towel, flowered paper napkin, whatever I could find.  My mom took with her whatever she wanted, and I divvied up the rest to family,  friends, and charity. I kept for myself what meant the most to me, including a mink coat, a lucite coffee table, cookie sheets, and my mom’s wedding dress with a blue silk bow. I also grabbed a sparkly pink hoola hoop that Sari used to twirl around her waist and neck, and I brought home the nearly 3,000 slides that my dad documented our entire childhood.

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