You know just yesterday - I received a call from Jonathan and he was like - do you want to come over to Auntie's apartment - her niece is here and since you are moving out of your dorm soon – you might need some of the things here to furnish your apartment! I was scared initially – ever since Auntie passed away in Dec’2024 around her 103rd birthday – I did not have the courage to even walk by the apartment. I felt every time – she would be there – as if I could come up and she would be like – here you are Shruti – have some tea!
At some point – I think she even forgot – I was her volunteer! She was just my friend – or more like family! She would make a nice cup of tea – make sure I eat something and then would be like – maybe LiLY should assign her another volunteer for her grocery shopping! And I would be like – you know Auntie – you can ask me too – I am your volunteer too! And she would always be like – no no – sit down and have tea! It was always – lets have our tea – the lemon ginger one she loved and I made sure to stock her cabinets with. And then it was always our conversations – so many of those – I could probably fill up a book about her – being raised and married off young – but fighting her way to study and then empowering so many women around her by building an entire school – which btw is still running and has thousands of women students!
But so, going back to tomorrow – I could just not stop thinking about how – she would have done the same thing of giving me some of the household things like the mugs and curtains – if she was alive and she knew I would be moving out! And I met her because of LiLY!
Just same yesterday – I helped walk dogs for one of the old lady who back was hurting or the weekend before where we had distributed these iPads to seniors in the community and I got to teach one of them how to use it! Or when every weekend – we go to all these seniors house to deliver groceries!
I love our neighborhood and working for LiLY and I just found it so meaningful to run the Marathon and fundraise for an organization which is so close to my heart! If you want – I would love for you guys to maybe join me while delivering groceries or for a dog walk but most importantly help me raise funds to help our elders in the neighborhood!
Just some other LiLY stories and my and all these wonderful interactions I have had with my old people are documented here –
Auntie meeting first prime minister of India story - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shrutisharma1210_remember-the-103-year-old-lady-i-volunteer-activity-7225110610705850368-jOrk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACK_WX0BNuIlLOOHnXD1PInUYx3nceoRJnA
Janet and her family’s story of moving to Ellis Island colonialism and story about still so many just human interactions – https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shrutisharma1210_i-volunteer-with-this-non-profit-lifeforce-activity-7311054339458945026-pU_K?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACK_WX0BNuIlLOOHnXD1PInUYx3nceoRJnA
