If you've been reading this ezine for very long, you probably already know a good bit about my wife, Ann, who is also my business partner and soul mate, and my soon-to-be 13-year-old daughter, Amber. Today I want to introduce you to the rest of the family -- our 4-legged members:

LUCKY: Lucky is a black and tan Gordon Setter-looking type mutt but without the Gordon Setter legs. She literally walked into our home one day when one of the sliding glass doors was open and took up residence. While she's getting up there in age and her muzzle is turning gray, she continues to have a very independent spirit and reminds me of Tramp in the Walt Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp. She's very much her own dog.

LADY: We rescued Lady from the local animal shelter about a year after I lost Maggie McGee to cancer. Lady is a mixture of Australian Sheepdog (like Maggie was) and Border Collie. We renamed her Lady because she is so much a Lady. She even eats her dog food in a dainty sort of way. She came from the shelter already trained and has been my companion on many miles of walks around Bonclarken Lake and at Carl Sandburg's Home.

LINDY: The newest member of our 4-legged family, Lindy snuck into our home by first bonding with Amber at the heart level. She was supposed to come just for a few days until we found a permanent home for her. Well, we did find her that home -- our own. She looks like she could be Lady's daughter although they're not related. I personally feel her name should be Rascal 'cause she has that kind of disposition in a loving sort of way, but Amber is holding on to the Lindy name since it was her grandfather's middle name.

PRETTY HEART: At this time Pretty Heart is our only feline friend, having lost Princess Lera on Christmas Eve. (Ann had Princess Lera and Luke Catwalker when we first met. We lost Luke several years ago. Lera ruled the roost in our house ever since Ann and I set up house. She's definitely missed by all of us.) Pretty Heart, named by Amber, was the typical barnyard orange tabby cat. He grew immensely in his early years getting up to around 22 pounds. We think he was an emotional eater, but then he suddenly started losing weight, and was eventually diagnosed as diabetic. He's been quite stable and happy on a holistic medication that Ann found on the Internet and that he receives twice a day in capsule form. (Thank goodness I still have some of my vet skills left.) He definitely lives up to his name.

And that's the 4-legged members of my family. Like the 2-legged members, they share their lives and their love with me and I'm so very grateful to have them all as part of my life on purpose.

2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.