eulogy integration Moreau Due 3/4/22 Morbidity in Moreau: A Memoir of Me Dear Friends and Family, Welcome to my funeral, at which I am somehow also giving my eulogy in the third person. Please spare me your inevitable questions about the logistics of that, and just go with it. Arden Russell Jennings was born in a blizzard on December 26th, 2002 in New York, and she maintained until the end of her life that New York City is indeed the greatest city in the world. She had one younger brother, many pets throughout her life, and an amazing extended family. She believed that her draw to strong communities started and finished with her bond with her family – it was their annual reunions, massive email chain, and overflowing love and support that defined her standards for a tight knit group of people. In fact, in conversation with her father he declared that “community is essential for you” (Chris Jennings – Moreau FYE Week Five), something she agrees with for herself. Even Pope Francis urges us to internalize that “life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis – Moreau FYE Week Seven). Arden attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart starting when she was four, and here she once again found amazing people and a fully invested community. Her teachers gave her the greatest gift they could: a love of learning. They were role models for her throughout her life, enough so that she considered becoming a teacher just to be able to give that same gift to future children. Her classmates were people who became some of her best friends, and by senior year she reflected that her grade was close enough to be considered a family. Then came time for college. To put it simply, Arden did not want to go to college. She loved her high school and her life in New York, and she had no desire for any of it to change. Honestly, she didn’t feel ready. And yet, college was inevitable; it was the next step on the ladder of life. Needless to say, she was stressed about making such a huge decision about her life. Her parents recall the weeks looking up to the application as “tearful.” She put a lot of pressure on herself to make the absolute best decision, and it wasn’t until later in her life that she would realize there is never one perfect decision. Life is “a developmental process that spans a person’s entire lifetime” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Undergraduate Career Services – Moreau FYE Week Four). What is so important to know, and what she hopes all of you here today know, is that we are the masters of our own destinies, and there is no one destiny that needs to be fulfilled. Have faith that you are the person you need to be, and that you are becoming the one you will need to be. https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Thus, the end of August 2021 rolled around and her time at the University of Notre Dame began. It was a change in her life that was so crucial she never imagined her life beyond it. She knew she would go to college, but after that the page was completely blank, there wasn’t even a brainstorm about her life. Friends? Yes, in an ambiguous sense she knew she would make friends, and she did indeed form the most wonderful connections with those she had the pleasure of meeting. She always found it crazy how close she could get to people who she had met only a few months prior. Her aim in making friends was to remember that “people of goodwill can disagree,” as Father Hesburgh so eloquently put it decades ago (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley – Moreau FYE Week Two). Once again, the beauty of community shone through in her life. What was she passionate about? What would she do for a career? She didn’t even know her major at the beginning of school, a crisis that frequently progressed into an external monologue that her roommates were amused to listen to. Despite the stress and struggles, things started falling into place, and Notre Dame was soon a place she considered home. Her mom would even joke that she was only visiting when she came to see her family over breaks, and soon she would be able to return to her “real home.” Ironic though it was, there was a hint of truth there: sights of Cavanaugh Hall and Main Building were soon as natural as any other environment could be. As is noted by Byrd: “half the confusion in the world comes with not knowing how little we need” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week One). The place she lived in and the things she owned had no real consequence on her life; the people who surrounded her and the memories they made together were what brought vitality to her life. Unfortunately, I must end my narrative of her life now given that my knowledge of it stops here. I know, however, that no matter how the rest of the story goes, Arden will remain at her core the same person. She would want to be remembered as someone who knew how to make people laugh, who expressed her love of those around her and her awe of the beauty of the world. Those who knew her best can easily remember her disrupting conversations or pausing a movie to run outside and look at how pretty the sky was. She was highly self-critical and strived to become the best version of herself always, in all that she did. It is found that “people who possess greater insight…enjoy stronger relationships, a clearer sense of purpose and greater well-being, self-acceptance and happiness” (“The Right Way to Be Introspective (Yes, There's a Wrong Way)” by Tasha Eurich PhD – Moreau FYE Week Six), and Arden strived to consistently seek knowledge toward this ideal. It is with great sorrow that we recall the transience of her life, but with great joy that we celebrate her. As Sister Aletheia preaches, “remember your death” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember that You Will Die ” by Ruth Graham – Moreau FYE Week Three). It is in remembering the finitude of our lives that we may find ways to live them more fully. Thank you all for coming. Peace and donuts. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ 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://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html