It was the spring of 1993. My daughter Amy and I took a trip to the Bill Wilson House for the weekend. The leaves were green, and the air was fresh and crisp, which made for a beautiful ride.

The House was bustling with guests and volunteer staff. The Wilson House, a historic landmark of East Dorset, is run by volunteers, usually recovering alcoholics, who are in the Step Program and need respite time. They offer AA programs for everyone. They're food is all home grown, and their meals are fabulous!

The first place Amy and I went to was the barn. Word had it a cat had 4 kittens. There were two long haired kittens, one tabby and a grey and white with white feet, which is the one I wanted. And two torties.

As I walked through the barn, I almost tripped over the most amazing set of tortoiseshell bookends, I mean kittens, I ever laid eyes on, laying head to head, soaking up the Vermont sunshine.

Emerald green eyes, the kind you can see into the soul. Soft, dark fur with swirling patterns of crème, chocolate brown and a tiny patch of white on their bellies. Their markings were identical to one another, except for one kind of odd thing. Their patterns were on opposite sides of one another!

These babies were twins. Amy fell instantly in love with one of the torties. At the time, I never had a cat and wasn't particularly fond of them. I grew up with dogs. All weekend Amy kept telling me how much I needed a cat. All weekend I disagreed and tried to stand my ground. It didn't work. By the time we headed home, I had SUCKER written all over my forehead.

At first I was going to take BOTH torties. I even had both in the box ready to go home. But my conscience won out and I decided that one was enough for now. I needed to see how this was going to work, and I would hate it if it didn't and I had to re-home them both.

Her name became Mollie Rose, aka "Queenie". She would not have riding in a cardboard box with straw, and let me know it immediately. Amy took her out and she slept the 3 hour ride in my daughter's lap.

The Divine Ms "M", as I refer to her, was a country kitten born on Mother's Day that year, and hadn't a clue how to use the litterbox. Up to this point, the world was her litterbox and she didn't know any better. I found a nice little "surprise" behind my good chair in the living room. I just put her, the box and her food and water in a room for 48 hours, and she got the idea.

We've been the best of buds ever since. Rosie and I have been through so much together. My depression, hysterectomy and, my only regret in life, a 3 year stint in Ecorse, Michigan. She was by my side after my beloved father passed away.

Mollie Rose took on the job of surrogate mama to countless of orphaned and foster cats and kittens. She never once hissed or complained. She just assumed the role until they found furrever homes of their own.

I started noticing Mollie's weight loss when she turned 15. She started drinking a lot of water and jumping from litterbox to litterbox and had been diagnosed with kitty asthma and allergies. I could feel her rib and hip bones.

I didn't think too much about it till one day she was yowling at the water fountain and laid down next to it. She became very clingy, wanting for me to hold her, or pet her all the time.

I called the vet and made an appointment. I felt I was losing my best friend.

Mollie Rose stayed overnight at the vet, on IV fluids and meds. I got a phone call the next day. It would be a phone call that would change my life forever.

The vet told me she had lost 4 pounds in less than a year, which is a LOT for a cat. He said the blood tests show her kidneys were failing and she had advanced kidney disease. I was forced to make a very difficult, gut wrenching decision.

I was more than willing to spend whatever it took to make her well and happy again. The vet unfortunately, said that kidney failure in a cat Mollie's age (16), is not reversible. There wasn't much that could be done for Mollie except keep her comfortable.

My precious girl went to the Rainbow Bridge that day. I held her, sobbing as my tears fell into her beautiful, soft fur. I told her it was okay to go to the Bridge and play and be whole again. Her beautiful emerald eyes will forever be etched into my brain.

I had her personally cremated and received her ashes back a week later. Because her life began in the barn at the Wilson House, I sent a portion of them (I wasn't ready to give them all up) to my friends at the Wilson House, who promised me they would scatter them around the barn where she was born and the garden where she played.

Mollie, you were my heart and soul. You comforted me when I was at my lowest point in my life. You pulled me up from a very deep, dark place and made me whole again. I will be forever grateful to for being by my side. Your tail will be forever wrapped around my heart.

I love and miss you sweetheart. Play hard at the Bridge and know that one fine day, we will be together again.

Love and kisses - Mama