Integration Pawelek 1 Moreau 24 February 2022 A Life Well-Lived, Featuring Kind, courageous, and loyal. These are all traits that are associated with . A woman that passed away this past week. We now come to celebrate her life in a way she would want it to be. Family and friends would say that her purpose in life was to serve her community. She often said the phrase “woman for others,” as she hoped to be associated with this montra when she passed. I believe that it is clear to see that, after reflecting on her life, this was in fact fulfilled. Sophie defined a life well-lived by key terms. These key terms were the terms used to describe her at the beginning of this eulogy. She spent her days living courageously, while staying kind and loyal to those around her. One way in which Sophie lived a life well-lived is by focusing on the little things in life. She took the time to focus on the important things, and let the little things in life not get to her. She often referenced “The need for an empty space, a pause, is something we have all felt in our bones; it’s the rest in a piece of music that gives it resonance and shape” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Lyer - Moreau FYE Week One). She said it goes to show the necessity of taking a pause and not rushing. She tried to reflect this into her life day in and day out. She knew that she would get caught up with her everyday life in the smallest of things, that in the long run will not affect her, but she still can’t let them go. This has a lot to do with platforms such as social media. However, she tried to be better about slowing down her life and taking time for herself and some of the thshe found that balance well. She radiated this balance to Pawelek 2 those around her, which made others yearn to find it like she did, and today we honor her for that. In a similar sense, Sophie knew that not everything was going to be good and happy all the time. She knew that there would be trials and tribulations that temporarily stunted her growth. She read to me once “In my faith you learn there’s meaning in suffering but to truly understand that you have to first suffer yourself. It tests your faith but in the end you find strength” (“Hesburgh” Film by Barca and O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week 2). With growth comes suffering, but her philosophy was that the suffering will only expedite the growth and build a good basis of character within yourself. She thought this was well reflected in the quote by Father Hesburgh, because to fall back on your faith when you are suffering is necessary too. Sophie held Faith close to her heart and centered herself around her Faith to live a good life. It grounded her. She deemed it essential to focus on God and pray when she was suffering, and somehow this helped calm and center her life. She also believed that suffering made the good parts of life so much sweeter. She had the ability to turn any negative into a positive. This is what people admired the most about Sophie. She was a light on the dark days, and this didn’t go unshown. She wanted to live a good life, and one way of doing this was by spreading positivity in the darkness. While I’m approaching the middle of this eulogy, I’d like to pause and reassure everyone that this doesn’t have to be a sad event. Sophie was prepared for this. Not only because she knew she lived a life well-lived, but because The concept is 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 3). Although there is a stigma around death, it is people like this nun who emphasize the importance Pawelek 3 of recognizing death and the inevitability of death who raise awareness. SOphie was very aware of this. Ultimately, she thought this would positively impact the earth, which was her goal. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about death is “If this was your last day on Earth how would you live it?” This is because Sophie would say this over and over again. SHe wanted everyone to live their days to the fullest because no one truly knows when it is their time to go. Furthermore, she thought she could change everyone’s lives for the better by utilizing this and creating joy for themselves and for others. She was very successful in this. Sophie never wasted any moment on the Earth. Although she may not have known what she wanted to do in the early stages of her life, she utilized every tool in order to push herself even further. There are many details and decisions to make and it requires a lot of exploration and research.” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Meruelo - Moreau FYE Week 4). She knew that with exploration came excellence. She kept all of this in mind come the time she was to discern what it was she wanted to do. She knew that self-reflection is essential for the coming years and we must all personally reevaluate our lives to fulfill our passions and her passion was to be a woman for others in a life well-lived. In a similar sense, Sophie utilized her surroundings to the best of her abilities in order to make the best version of herself. While she studied at the University of Notre Dame, she used the IrishCompass (Irish Compass - Moreau FYE Week 5) system. This networked herself with surrounding alumni. She focused heavily on those who went into fields of study including service. This was extremely beneficial. It showed that she was a lifelong learner, which is a necessary characteristic of someone who lives a life well-lived. It is widely acknowledged that the community runs deeper at Notre Dame and Sophie thought that this extended to the networking, which she was very successful in. Pawelek 4 FInally, I think it should be emphasized again how self-aware Sophie was. She often brought up “I’ve come to believe that the qualities most critical for success in today’s world — including emotional intelligence, empathy, influence, persuasion, communication and collaboration — all stem from self-awareness.” (“The Right Way to be Introspective” by Tasha Eurich - Moreau FYE Week 6). Especially in today’s day and age, it is very common to get caught up in technology. We get wrapped into elements of social media and we lose ourselves. Although Sophie was very aware of this, she would admit that there were many times that she caught herself getting into a negative place with herself and her overall self-worth because of what she saw on social media. Yet she always came out of this even better than before because she realized that we must take a moment to reflect on ourselves in everyday life. Our lives are, undoubtedly, very busy, but we must carve out time to reflect on us and the world around us, and this will ultimately benefit everyone’s future. I think thai avidly plays a role in the personality traits of Sophie, a compassionate woman. When I think of a person that lived a life well-lived, I think of , because I think this increasingly reigns true through all of the positive characteristics she shined out toward the world. She will be missed.