Moreau FYE Experience Integration 3
3/4/2022
My Eulogy
	It is with great sadness for me today that it is time to write my eulogy, but I shall not forget to mention how fortunate I am that Elon Musk created the real-life version of the Sorcerer’s Stone which allows me to deliver my own eulogy despite my dead body. Seeing all of you here at my funeral today is a true gift to me because I know you are all very busy doing important things and I feel blessed to be bestowed with your care. 
	Because this is my eulogy, I must treat it as such by highlighting why I mattered while inhabiting the earth as well as the legacy I left. I am, or was, an honest man, and will do my best to balance being honest about my life with the eulogy’s importance in displaying the special, life-giving qualities of the deceased, something which everyone of you possess in your own way. A eulogy also lets us do introspection the correct way. We ask “what” questions rather than the more damaging “why” questions. “Asking what could keep us open to discovering new information about ourselves, even if that information is negative or in conflict with our existing beliefs. Asking why might have the opposite effect,” (“The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way by Tasha Eurich – Moreau FYE Week Six). Death is a weird concept, but in understanding death we receive life. As Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble practiced, is is important to “intentionally think about your own death every day as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future,” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die,” by Ruth Graham – Moreau FYE Week Three).
	In my time on earth, I worked hard. I could say I worked hard for the people around me, and some may say I worked hard for my own gain, but the truth is I worked hard because my nature governed me to. I constantly was testing myself for my own capability, and always looked ahead for new challenges to tackle. This is easily seen in my professional career, but it was most important in my personal, family life. I put faith in myself when dealing with relationships. Having fallen in love right before leaving for college, I knew a long distance relationship would be a challenge, but I had faith that I could handle the work required to keep the relationship strong. I knew that hard work pays off, and that love is always worth it. I knew that having kids would the biggest challenge of my life but I trusted that my wife and I had the capacity to do the work of being a parent. I was blessed by my beautiful children and though I wasn’t perfect, I worked very hard as a parent to raise my kids and I was a great, loving Dad.
	I was blessed with fantastic people in my life but my loyalty to others was essential in finding them. Much of this came from my honesty. I couldn’t lie to the people around me and developed a habit of using out-right honesty from a very young age that was refreshing to people (I learned this in my Moreau FYE Week Five discussion when talking to my friend CJ about who I am). My “boys” from high school were my boys for life, and I never let go of the life-giving bond that those special men and I held. They were always there to lend me a hand, and I always was there for them. In conversations, we held nothing back. Much of what created our bond was the way we held each other accountable, something which required the utmost honesty. As a husband, I developed strong trust with my wife and never felt the need to hold back anything from her. I was loyal to her. I was a loyal father, too. As my children grew up and faced the challenges we all face, I was always in their corner pulling for them. Attending the University of Notre Dame, I was greatly inspired by Father Ted Hesburgh. His courage was incredible and I always did my best to emulate him. When asked to join Martin Luther King in Chicago, “he wasn’t worried about the controversy. His only response was, ‘when do you want me there,” (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley – Moreau FYE Week Two). 
	I like to think I was a simple man. No amount of material goods were as important to me as the relationships I made in life or the priority of experiencing life as it allowed me to. Experience it life to me was about getting off my phone, engaging with those around me, making plans when I didn’t have to, “The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters – just get out and experience life,” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). Going to college for me wasn’t about finding the most rewarding career pay-wise, but my path to serving the world which gifted me with life. I never tried to dramatically live above my means, but also felt no need to. Living simplistically allowed me to, as Pico Iyer wrote, “get away from our less considered habits,” and live more mindfully (“Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives” by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week One). 
	I was a natural leader. From a young age, I made a rule for myself to never ask more from subordinates than I would be willing to do myself which I held myself accountable to. It is a matter of solidarity, which as Pope Francis said, “is a free response born from the heart of each and everyone,” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis -Moreau FYE Week Seven). Understanding this rule meant that I must either let my projects fail, or work extremely hard, and I typically chose the latter. In my career, I didn’t always perform to my potential, but I inspired people who worked for me through my dedication to tasks in front of me. Again, here is something which is more important in my personal life despite being obvious in my career. I made sure that I was willing to at least match the work which my friends, parents, siblings, and children did to help me out.