Have you ever wondered how I came to
be named Shamzi, and not Fido or Larry or Bob?
Gather around, boys and girls, and let me tell you the story, which
started long before I was even born, way back in the days of B.S. ---Before
Shamzi.
In 2006, as my mother was driving home
on a rainy day, she found a dog running in the road. The poor thing was cold and scared and too
smart to be caught easily. So my mother
called her brother, my Uncle Faz, who cornered the dog and grabbed him with his
big brave hands. They took him to the
animal shelter and tried to find his person.
No one claimed the little guy so my mother adopted him. She named him Rumi, after one of her favorite
Persian Sufi poets from the 13th century.
Even after he left the shelter, Rumi
the dog was still very scared, like maybe his life before my mother was not so
pleasant. In addition to love and care,
Rumi also needed a lot of time and attention, which would have been hard for my
mother to give at the time. Instead, she
found Rumi the perfect home with her lovely friend, Margaret. In his new home, Rumi transformed from being a
trembling little scaredy-cat to the happiest dog in the whole world. He is always smiling. Little did he know, as he ran into the street
on that cold, rainy day, he was running into the arms of his new life. As Rumi the poet (not the dog) wrote, “What
you seek is seeking you.” 
Fast forward to January 13, 2010. My mother, completely on a whim, went to the
animal shelter to check out dogs, with no expectation of finding The One. I’ve already shared with you the story of that
magical, mystical day, about how our eyes met and we felt an instant
connection. My mother said she wasn’t
sure about adopting me, but I know she was sure. Look at me!
How could you not love this face?
As for my name, my mother thought since there was already a Rumi in the
family, why not name me after Rumi’s closest friend and spiritual guide, Shams
of Tabriz? My formal name is Shams, or Shamz, but my everyday name is
Shamzi. Thank goodness Rumi’s best
friend wasn’t named Mortimer.
The name
“Shams” is a big name for such a little guy, but I do my best to live up to it
and be a spiritual guide to my mother and others. As
Rumi the poet (not the dog) wrote, “Be grateful for
whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”
