Microsoft Word - Moreau Integration 3.docx Mr. Reaume : A Man with a Life Well Lived We are gathered today not to mourn a loss, but to celebrate a life well lived. We all knew Carson in one way another, and boy, was he a character. As I’m sure most of you can agree, Carson lived his life in a way that made him a model and a mentor to others. Each day he greeted us with a smile and tried to brighten our lives. In memory of his virtue, I would like to touch on a few characteristics and moments that I believe made Carson, Carson. One commendable attribute Carson embraced was his diligence and focus. Something Carson kept in mind and shared with me was how “the ability to gather information, which used to be so crucial, is now far less important than the ability to sift through it” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week One). As a businessman, Carson was constantly inundated with information regarding his professional life. Despite this, I always respected how Carson made time for his family and friends. He found the time to put away his technology, set the stress of work aside, and spend time with those he loved the most. Yes, he was diligent and focused on his work, but even more so on his relationships. He was able to prioritize those who were most important to him, a trait that most people strive for. He also used this time for self-reflection, allowing him to become a better man for the people he loved. In this way, Carson allowed his focus and diligence to extend beyond the professional realm into his personal life, making him a better man. One piece of Carson’s life that he was always proud of and never shy to share about was his time at the University of Notre Dame. His favorite way to describe Notre Dame was as “A place that made me a better person” (“Serving the Country in Pursuit of a Better World” by Terrell Hunt – Moreau FYE Week Two). Carson showed a true passion and love for Notre Dame. In discussions with him he shared with me why he chose this university. He saw academic challenge as a key to his path to success. Beyond academics, Carson appreciated the religious aspect of Notre Dame. Joining a religious community, Carson hoped to explore and deepen his faith. As he learned about faith, he allowed it to shape him into the man we all knew. Carson also liked to harp on the idea of community at Notre Dame. During his time at Notre Dame, Carson formed lifelong friendships and relationships, as some of you here today can attest to. He fully embraced the community and beauty of Notre Dame, allowing his academics, relationships, and challenges to contribute to his growth as a person. Another virtue that Carson prided himself on was joy. Carson loved happiness, but he believed that, “Joy, on the other hand, is much deeper and much more central, it comes from within, and it’s a genuine rightness of how one lives one’s life” (“Three Key Questions” by Fr. Michael Himes – Moreau FYE Week Three). Carson lived with the realization that happiness is subject to external factors, but joy comes from within. He started each day by finding joy so that he could make an impact on those around him. But where did he find joy? His friends, his family, his faith. Everything about Carson stemmed back to these relationships. For Carson it was easy to find joy because he formulated his life around it. Even his profession brought him joy. Carson realized that joy was something he could always have no matter what happened. And that made him a great man. Next, I would like to touch on a piece of Carson’s life that not everyone might know about: his mentorship. In the midst of work, family, and friends, Carson would dedicate his time to mentoring college students. As a graduate himself, he understood the stress and anxiety associated with life decisions. Maybe helping students even made him feel young again. One of his favorite things to point out was the misconception that “There seems to be this commonly held belief in our society that a major equals a certain career path” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development – Moreau FYE Week Four). Carson recognized that college students feel like they are in a type of funnel when they decide a major. He encouraged them to break out of this funnel and explore careers outside of what they think their major restricts them to. That is part of the way he found his joy; he explored options outside of his major and found what gave him joy. Beyond an academic standpoint, Carson tried to guide students through reflection. Over the years, Carson refined his process of reflection so that he could gain a better understanding of himself. He tried to encourage students with the fact that he himself was once not good at reflecting. He was distracted by technology and work and never wanted to dedicate time to address his problems, but when he focused on reflection his life began to change. One idea from his reflection process that he tried to pass on was “When we examine the causes of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors — which we often do by asking ourselves Why? questions — we tend to search for the easiest and most plausible answers” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich – Moreau FYE Week Six). Carson had already experienced the pitfalls of reflection and tried to guide others to avoid these mistakes. He knew that effective reflection needed to ask deeper, hard questions to challenge his own self-image and perception. Through mentoring students, he helped open their minds to exploration, hoping they might find the joy that he had. Another aspect of Carson’s character is one that is a positive, but some may view as a negative. No matter the time, the place, or the person, Carson always cared and wanted to make people happy. A quote he continuously said, but seemed to disregard quite often, was “You can’t make everybody happy” (“Discernment Discussion” by my mother – Moreau FYE Week Five). Like some people might say, Carson was always “putting himself out” for others. He wanted the best for others no matter the cost to him. Of course, this sometimes ended badly for Carson, but he never gave up. He thought that by continuing to look out for other he could spread love. At times it was hard, but he had a calling in faith and love to continue caring for those who did or did not care for him. I thought this related well to something Mother Teresa said: “One cannot love, unless it is at their own expense" (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis – Moreau FYE Week Seven). I think this is something we could all take away from Carson no matter how well you knew him. To exemplify true love, you must be willing to make sacrifices. Carson understood this and embraced it in his mission to spread love and joy. Some people may view sacrifices as a bad thing, but Carson came to the conclusion that sacrificing made him better. He taught and showed all of us how to love by giving of yourself. Carson was a man like no other and we were truly blessed to have him. He showed us all how to live a full and joyous life. Rest in Peace.