In December, we received news that Ms. Shirley (The PILLARS very first employee) passed away suddenly. The news came as a shock, and to be honest, we're still trying to wrap our heads around a world without her in it. Though she hasn't been at our front desk for the better part of a year, her fingerprints are all over the work that we do here. She was an integral part of building The PILLARS from the ground up. And I mean...ground up (she was here before we had office phones or outlet covers!)
Ms. Shirley brought joy to our office, and always offered a prayer or just silent presence when that's what someone needed. How many of you know, sometimes we just need someone to SIT with us? That was Ms. Shirley. And of course, she always did it in style. Hello, cheetah print and a little kitten heel! She made us all want to step up our fashion game to look our best, as we were working on feeling our best. She was a woman who said what was on her mind (sometimes with no filter haha), and we have always admired her boldness in that way. Ms. Shirley taught us that it's okay to be working on ourselves in all stages of life; that we're never too young or too old, too well-off or too under-resourced, too far gone or too filled with pride to say yes to ourselves one day at a time. We deserve to care for ourselves and to be cared for by those around us. Thank you for that reminder, Ms. Shirley.
She was an amazing woman, mother, friend, prayer-warrior, encourager, and presence...and we will miss her dearly. I, for one, am grateful for the many prayers she offered on my behalf, for the encouragement she gave me as a "mom" away from my own mom, and for the numerous texts she would send when she was thinking about me even after our time working together.
Many of you have also been personally touched by Ms. Shirley. If you were impacted by Ms. Shirley through her time at The PILLARS or otherwise, we'd love to hear from you! Please send an email to interns@pillarsnyc.org with your fondest memory or some words to remember her by. There will also be a memorial to honor her life on Feb. 22nd and we will send out further details closer to the date.
Rest in Peace, beautiful. We love you.
-Miranda Cazin, Communications at The PILLARS