The first week I brought Apollo home from the pound, he was sick and would just lay on my belly resting. At three months, he needed medicine, which I spoon fed him daily. One day, he woke up and felt so strong, he would literally walk all over my face with his little paws. I was sleeping on an air mattress on the floor at the time, and he would gently nudge me to play with him in the middle of the night. He grew up to be a strong cat, a lion with a mane so long and messy, it needed constant brushing or trimming. He loved hunting for mice and bringing them to the stoop of our backyard door at Saltair. At some point, he transitioned to becoming a full time indoor cat, and soon he began his retirement life. Two three years ago, he moved to my old college roommate's apartment, to keep her cat Dante company. No longer agile, very slow, but his mind still sharp and grumpy, he lived out the remainder of his days in a home full of love with surrogate human parents who cared for him deeply, as he developed a painful cancer. This week, he told them he was done. He let them know it was time. They gave me a chance to FaceTime with him periodically, and he strangely seemed to always respond to my voice. I like to think he recognized me. I hate that I wasn't home to say good bye in person, but if there is anything I've learned in the last five years, is that you have to let go gracefully. We were able to organize his vet visit during my only break during the day today, and I was allowed to FaceTime him one last time and witness him take his last breath. Been crying many tears, but have also been surprisingly productive work wise before and after. "Moving on" is my continued lesson. It's quite extraordinary to witness a living being's entire lifespan. I want to thank Frances and Ian for being fantastic second parents to Apollo and for keeping me in the loop every step of the way. You guys are so amazing. I've been feeling a lot of highs and lows this month, and am a bit out of my element, but I realize how lucky I am to have so many soulmates, animals and humans. I hope you're having fun chasing mice in heaven, Apollo. Love you. RIP. Mama