After her death, the property passed to me through her estate.

It was modest.

Three bedrooms.

A narrow garage.

An aging porch swing.

A backyard bordered by pine trees.

But it had no mortgage.

For someone raising children on a limited income, that security was more valuable than almost anything.

Sarah also left a separate life-insurance trust for the children’s future education.

Approximately forty thousand dollars remained in the relevant fund.