Marie doesn't know how old this cat is but I think you can see that they have a special relationship. It was at Marie's house that Louie first jumped into my lap...and the rest is history. She was my Sunday school teacher a while back. When she mentioned she had 20 peacocks I knew I had to visit her house. I kept dropping hints and waiting for an invitation...and finally one day, when I had a brief stint as a writer for a local newspaper, I went to interview her. Waiting for her to open her front door I heard tiny little kitten mews coming from the soffit over the front door. Before we could start the interview we had to rescue the kittens, which required a neighbor coming over with a crowbar to tear out the soffit! And that's how our friendship began.

Marie reminds me every time I see her that she is 88 years old and her memory is going, so she doesn't drive any more...but I don't mind that. I just feel so blessed in her presence. She handles her physical challenges so beautifully and maintains a beautiful sweet spirit. She is my how to grow old gracefully role model.