The Eulogy of  on a Life Well Lived 
	If there was one thing  would say to anyone about how to lead a life well lived, he would tell them to strive to be remembered. He believed the most important thing was leaving a lasting legacy on those around him and positively impacting all the lives he could. His favorite poem was “O Me! O Life”! By Walt Whitman in which these words are shared: “...the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Life keeps moving forward and stops for no man. The important thing is you leave your verse or your mark before it is too late. 
John believed there were many ways in which someone could leave a legacy. Not everyone has to cure cancer or win a Nobel prize because frankly that's just impossible. However, he believed everyone could make their mark in their own unique way, and this was not more or less significant than anyone else’s. One of the first ways is to help those around you and make the world a better place. Fr. Hesburgh once said, while responding to a student who was upset about the state the country was in, “then do something about it, it's your country, it's your problem” (“Hesburgh” - by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley- Moreau FYE Week 2). John shared a similar belief system to this. He always said if you are not satisfied with the way things are, then be the change you want to see. There is no better way to leave your legacy than by helping those around you and making the lives of others better. Another quote John really enjoyed came from Pope Francis who said, “When one realizes that life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, that love is the source and the meaning of life, how can they withhold their urge to do good to another fellow being?” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone”  by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). John agreed that there was no excuse to not do right by your fellow man and that one of the most important aspects of life was cultivating relationships with those around. What better way to leave a positive impact than to cherish the loved ones around you and be loved back by then. He knew that if he established meaningful connections with the people in his life than he would be remembered long after he passed, and the legacy he hoped for would be achieved. 
Another factor John thought was essential to living a well lived life was finding your passion and making sure you pursue it. Some advice which John lived by was given to him by his father, who would tell him to not worry or be concerned about how much money you’re going to make when considering career options. Instead, he would urge him to find something which challenged him, something he enjoyed, and something that motivated him to get out of bed in the morning. If you found these things, then the money will most likely follow (Moreau FYE Week 5). While it is important to find a career which you are passionate about, John also made sure to always find the balance necessary between work and the other aspects of his life. He knew it was important to spend time with his family and friends, pursue hobbies, and cultivate the mind through the arts. A quote which he used to find balance came from Pico Iyer who said in a TED article, ““The more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). Like Iyer said, John knew the importance of spending time away from your work as well and to not to become too consumed with your job. If you do not take time away from your work and find a good balance then you will not be able to pursue other facets of your life and leave an impacting legacy on those around you. 
In addition, John would always preach that no matter the hardships we endure, you always need to keep moving forward. He would tell a story about a friend of his who had a tattoo of a cartoon duck on his thigh, positioned where no one could see. The reason behind the tattoo is whenever the friend felt overwhelmed or stressed out, he would look down at his leg and be reminded to not take life too seriously. John knew it was important to accept our mistakes and not to become too consumed with them. John enjoyed a quote from Fr. Michael Himes which said, “Dissatisfaction (restlessness) is not a bad thing...indeed it’s the best thing about us.” It’s what constantly moves us forward, makes us grow, expands our horizons, and deepens our perceptions. It’s a very healthy, a very important, and a very valuable thing!” ("Three Key Questions" adapted from Fr. Michael Himes- Moreau FYE Week 3). John understood the meaning of this quote to those around him, that it is important that we fail in life and we used this failure to motivate us to continue growing and moving forward. Likewise, he also enjoyed a quote from the Meruelo Family for Career Development that said, “As much as we present it with arrows from one step to the next, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not always linear; these steps don’t take place in a nice, neat order” ("Navigating Your Career Journey” - Moreau FYE Week 4). A message from this quote that John would want to share is that it is important to realize that life does not always work out the way we planned, and this is okay. We must take the crooked with the straights and keep adapting to the changes life throws at us. If we are able to do this and continue to move forward with our lives, then we are truly on the path to a life well lived. 
Lastly, John knew that in order to fully enjoy and benefit from the gift that is life, you must take a moment to enjoy what is around you. One of his favorite movies, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop around and look once in a while, you could miss it.” He knew it was essential to take a break from all the commotion in your life and truly enjoy the moment you are in. A similar quote he appreciated came from a Grotto story by Aria Swarr which a man who was paralyzed said, “I began just thanking God and being more positive about the things that I had already, I was able to do things more gladly, and with gratitude and joy and hope” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week 6). John would want everyone to know that setbacks will occur, and in these moments we must take a second and enjoy the positives in life and be thankful for what we do have. We cannot resent what goes wrong, but rather we must move through them and keep a positive outlook. The words Jon would want to leave you all with come from Kanye West. Kanye once said, “People always tell you, 'Be humble. Be humble.' When was the last time someone told you to be amazing? To be great!” John urges everyone to go and be great and to go and leave a lasting legacy just as he did.