Shilo

So I bought Lily, our daughter, this puppy so she could learn about responsibility.  But, also so my wife and I could have some time to ourselves.  You know, keep her busy while I peacefully watch T.V. and my wife could do her reading or sewing or whatever else she has going.  You see, both my wife and I lead crazy lives.  I’m a C.E.O. of this prestigious company and my wife is a lawyer.  So, naturally, we are very busy and don’t have much time for our daughter.  We try but deadlines get in the way so at the end of the day we just want to lay back and relax.  Besides, it’s a well-known fact that if you want to lead a rich life; you have to sacrifice.  Well, our daughter Lily, she’s a smart girl and knows how to compromise.  She knows that mommy and daddy need to concentrate on making money.  She’s made great friends with the babysitter.  She’s not bitter.  So we thought.

Of course, when I bought her the puppy she was so happy.  Mommy and daddy were heroes.  We did something right.  Well, the first night no one got any sleep.  The three of us in the kitchen trying to keep Shilo quiet.  That’s the name Lily chose. We ask her where she got it.  She said it was from a Neil Diamond song that mommy would sing-a-long to in the shower.  Anyway, two hours later Shilo finally fell asleep.  We tried to sneak in a few winks before we had to get up again.  It was a strain for all of us.  So Lily wouldn’t miss the bus my wife dressed her, and I went downstairs and warmed up some turnovers for breakfast.  Still half asleep, Lily and I took Shilo for a walk and talked about the night before and laughed at the fact that it was going to happen a lot more.  We all went our separate ways to start our day.

On my lunch break, Lily called to tell me that Shilo ate a biscuit from her hands. Normally, a personal call would’ve gotten me mad. But today I welcomed it with such excitement.  Then my wife called to remind me to pick up some puppy chow. Funny how this was the first time she had called me at work.  She told me she had to look up the number in her address book.  I told her to call the sitter and send her home early ‘cause I was coming home around five-thirty.  She was speechless.  I told her I wanted to teach Lily how to hold Shilo by his leash.
“That’s great,” she says. “Then I’ll be home by eight, I won't be late”
“Okay hon, I’ll see you at home.”
I hang up the phone with a smile. It’s been a while since we’ve admired each other.

When Lily saw me pull into the driveway, she got so excited. Her eyes opened wide, her arms opened wide, her mouth opened wide and her legs broke into a fast stride.  She threw herself into my arms and us into the car.  We set off the alarm.  Talk about a fanfare welcome.  This feeling can’t be compared with anything else.  As we walked into the house; “Whoa! Hello boy, hello!”  I basically got the same greeting from Shilo.  Wow!  I should come home early more often. Didn’t know I was so missed.  I could get used to this.

“Daddy, can I feed him, can I feed him?”
I gently pick up her chin and ask her for a kiss first. As she did, a burst of tears dismiss themselves from my eyes.  Believe me, we were both surprised.  Before she could ask me why I was crying, I began drying my eyes.  I opened the bag of puppy chow for her and watched as my daughter poured dog food into Shilo’s bowl.
“Get him some water.” She ordered. I obeyed and did as I was told.  This became the household norm for many years to come.

As Lily grew, Shilo grew and my wife and I did too.  We decided that we didn’t want to be divided.  So before high school began, I hired a right-hand man to take care of my company.  We realized that we only need one of us to bring in the money.  So my wife completely changed her life and started her own Child Care Center.  We had entered a new milestone.  No more leaving our daughter home alone.  We wanted to be there to meet her date for the prom. I wanted to go to her after-school activities to root her on.
I have to say, as I swell up with tears, high school brought us some great years.

Even though we had a fenced-in yard, Lily and I continued to walk Shilo every morning and talk about the day before and whatever else we had going on.  this is how our days had begun.  Shilo was the one who had brought us together.  Never would I ever have thought it would be like this.  He had bought us, time, love, and tenderness.  We owe everything to him.

Unfortunately, I tell this story in fond memory of shilo, our hero.  A canine that had turned a lonely child into a happy child.   And brought us together as a family.  I kneel down in the back yard holding him in my arms, trying hard not to lose it.  Lily, who had just come home for college break was dressing up his resting place.  My wife’s face drenched with tears, oh dear, here come mine; it’s okay, I’m fine.  I place him in his grave as Lily begins to recite something she had saved.
** “Shilo when I was young, I used to call your name.  When no one else would come, Shilo you always came and we played.”

When my wife and I heard this eulogy, we embraced our daughter Lily and cried in unity.  Now, we understood how Lily felt before Shilo had entered her world.  She was a lost little girl who felt lonely and alone.  She had shelter but we did not give her a home.  All that time we felt she was fine.  I looked at my wife and then at our Lily and said,
“Thank you, Shilo for saving my family.”

**Shilo- song by Neil Diamond