Cathy Hillman looked at her old picture on the mantle and sighed.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Susan, her mother, asked.

"Am I still me? So much has changed. I mean, I love what MORFS has done to me, but am I still me?'

"Oh honey," she replied. "Come over her and sit with me. I need a hug from my favorite kitty girl."

Cathy forced a smile. "Mama gonna make it all better?"

Susan snickered. "Now, that's more the child I raised."

As Cathy sat down, Susan commented, "Ever since you found out that you could influence your change, you have been so focused. You're the reason that we have a house full of cats -- female cats, at that. You're the one who practically refused to handle raw meat, and insisted on wearing gloves. You stayed away from everyone's dogs and rabbits and gerbils and other pets. I thought you were going to jump over the table when one of your brother's friends brought his pet rat over."

"Like I said..."

"I remember the sad little boy that you were. Sure, you played happily and smiled a lot, but there was this sadness underneath that hardly anyone saw."

Susan picked up the electronic picture frame and gave it a few swipes. It showed a picture of Karl as a baby.

"Now isn't that just the cutest little baby? I remember the first time I brought this precious child home!"

The slide show started, going through all of Karl's school and vacation pictures; documenting the little baby growing through toddlerhood up to her middle teen years.

She backed up the slide show and showed her daughter a picture of a one year old boy with birthday cake all over his face.

"Do you see that little boy? I remember him so well, and love him still. He's gone now..." Susan gave the tablet a couple swipes, "... Replaced by this adorable little hellion that ran us all ragged. I don't regret losing him, because he is still here."

Susan gave the picture frame a few more swipes, going through the precious memories of her little boy who became a teenager. She stopped on the latest picture of Cathy as a kitty girl.

"Life is change. You can't remain a baby or a toddler. You have to move on. No, you are no longer that little baby or even the same person that you were a week ago. That doesn't mean that we don't love you more and more every day."

Cathy nodded, tears in her eyes.

"The look of wonder on your face when you woke up that last time made it all worthwhile. I could tell that you were whole. That sadness that you hid so well was gone."

"Thanks, Mom!"

Cathy hugged her mom, then walked off with a spring in her step.