Integration 3 - Eulogy (Moreau FYE) Prof. Polotto Moreau FYE 4 March 2022 Integration 3 - My Eulogy A life lived in harmony. That was the philosophy Anneliese strived to live by in her long, fulfilling 110 years of life. However, living “in harmony” to her didn’t always mean living in some impossible state of perfection; harmonizing, to her, was about balancing out the multiple tones in ones life to create a sound with depth, meaning, and which resonantes and transforms those who witness it. She embraced both the dissonance and consonance of life that make it interesting, and worked to harmonize herself with whatever was thrown her way. This emphasis on harmonizing with the world around her manifested in the small practices of Anneliese’s everyday life. She always made it a priority to take time for herself; whether it was a weekend day dedicated solely to spending time with her family or friends, spending an evening alone in the kitchen with her thoughts and hands as she cooked, going to dance classes to fuel her lifelong love of dance and the arts, or simply taking a Sunday to sit on the couch and indulge in a favorite tv show or new book, Anneliese recognized the importance to take time away from the business to spend fine tuning her inner life. It is as Abraham Joshua Heschel, the great Jewish theologian, called it: “‘a cathedral in time rather than in space’; the one day a week we take off becomes a vast empty space through which we can wander, without agenda, as through the light-filled passageways of Notre Dame” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). She used this time for physical rest, yes, but also a revitalization of her mind, emotions, and spirit; whenever feeling anything other than peace, asking herself “‘What’s going on?’; ‘What am I feeling?’; ‘What is the dialogue inside my https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ head?’; ‘What’s another way to see this situation?’ or ‘What can I do to respond better?’” (“The Right Way to be Introspective [Yes, There’s a Wrong Way]” by Dr. Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week 6). She passed these smaller practices of awareness on to her friends, family, and children by instruction, but she also led a life of harmony by example in her career pursuits. Always interested in learning about everything, Anneliese knew that she would not be satisfied doing just one thing and so made it her one thing to explore and learn new things throughout her life. She knew herself – her values, interests, personality, and skills–and used those to guide her career choices. She often told me that “the only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by ND Undergrad Career Services - Moreau FYE Week 4). Anneliese tried to combine this exploration of herself and her interest with her desire to help people through her work. In one reflection she wrote back in college, she said she hoped to “find ways in which we can use physics to improve the lives of others, which, upon reflection, mirrors the ways in which I wish I could change lives for the better in my own family.” (“Discernment Conversation Reflection” by - Moreau FYE Week 5). Her desire to enrich and improve the lives of the people close to her translated into her larger desire to help the larger human community. Anneliese was greatly influenced by her education–being catholic, it provided her with a strong sense of her moral duty to use knowledge for the betterment of others. However, the institutions she attended–catholic or not– gave her role models whose example she carried on for further generations. The generosity and passion of her ballet teachers, the dedication and caring of her high school teachers and college professors, and the historical figures she learned of in her stories were all people from which she constantly drew inspiration for how she wanted to live her https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ life and the imprint she hoped to leave behind. I believe that she was successful in these endeavors, summed up by this quote describing one of her sources of inspiration, Fr. Ted Hesburg: “What made him such an extraordinary figure is that he didn’t really belong to any side. He belonged to the side of decency, he belonged to the side of a fundamental belief in the redeemability of mankind” (“Hesburgh Film” by Kevin Abbott - Moreau FYE Week 2). She strove to be “a lighthouse that stands apart, shining with the wisdom of the catholic tradition,” but also a “crossroads where differences of culture and religion and conviction can coexist with friendship civility, hospitality, and especially love.” (“Hesburgh Film” by Kevin Abbott - Moreau FYE Week 2). Anneliese had a strong “understanding of reality as a place where every element connects and interacts with everything else.” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7) She knew the importance of harmony between one’s personal, public, and spiritual lives, and strived to live these out in her everday life, in her career, and in her relationships with people and the wider world around her. She strived to find her place within the function of the world around her, and worked to bring harmony to her own life, to the lives of others, and to everything she touched. Most of all, however, she lived a life of symphonic, harmonious joy. She truly embodied the statement that “joy is the delight one takes in being dissatisfied. It is the deep delight that one feels in being called to something still before you–to a new decision and to a new way of living” (“Three Key Questions” adapted from Fr. Micheal Himes - Moreau FYE Week 3). She has accomplished much and impacted many, but above all, she is so deeply loved by the family and friends who keep her spirit alive. A life so full of color, of liveliness, of art, music, dance, song, and love cannot help but leave behind beautiful echos of its sound, like the moments between the finale https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/35977/files/472856?module_item_id=146947 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/35977/files/472856?module_item_id=146947 and applause. So let us applause and celebrate the life of Anneliese, a life which truly was one of harmonious joy.