Untitled document Moreau First Year Experience Week 8 - Integration Three Mike 2/26/22 : friendly, faithful, and forward Friends, we gather here today in remembrance of Brody Patrick Whalen. While this death is one of sorrow and tears, it is one of great celebration. I can not remember a time when I remember seeing Brody act ungrateful for everything that he had in his life. It was because of his gratitude that Brody always wanted to give back to those who had helped him along the way. And while he surely experienced ups and downs like many of us do, he consistently looked at the bright side. Although we will miss him dearly, I am sure that we are all thankful for the many ways in which he tried to make our lives a little bit brighter. Brody was not always the most outgoing person. However, he was almost always the most thoughtful. Even if you could not tell, he was thinking about you. His tenure as a medical professional truly allowed him to do what he loved: giving back. But, Brody did not just stop there…he never did…he always went beyond, even if it requires great sacrifice. He regularly volunteered to help his fellow physicians in their own cases. His service to the community came from his desire to “always take the smallest piece of cake,” which was a phrase that his dad consistently repeated to him as a kid. The only thing that was more important to Brody than giving back was his family. His family was very close, which gave him the opportunity to receive advice from a number of different perspectives. His mom taught him that having fun and meeting others is often just as important as hard work. His dad taught him that hard work will pay off, and that “humility rules” (Humility Rules, Father Augustine, a monk of Saint Louis Priory School Abbey). His brother taught him that taking time for oneself is crucial to being able to interact with others in a meaningful way. His grandma taught him that patience is truly a virtue, and how important putting oneself in others’ shoes is. By implementing these diverse perspectives into his life, I am confident that Brody died a joyful man. Not only a happy man, but a joyful man…grateful for life, and the experiences which he had. Growing up in Saint Louis county, Brody was always very active. He was constantly outside, or off hanging with the neighbors. He loved the faith life at Priory, which was only expanded after his conversion to Catholicism. Simultaneously, he thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Priory cross country and track teams. However, his childhood in the county did not prevent him from exploring the world. After a Notre Dame education, Brody became well aware of the great opportunities that existed beyond 63131. He traveled Europe before attending Mizzou medical school, having an abundance of unique experiences along the way. These encounters with the world only strengthened his desire to become a physician. After achieving his goals, Brody settled down with his lovely wife Jane Doe. Brody and Jane started a family, and thrived as parents for decades. Growing older, Brody’s connection with his family only strengthened. He regularly invited his children and grandchildren over for cookouts. When he reached retirement, Brody filled his time with family, church, bingo, and hot tubbing. Although this may have appeared to be the happiest time of Brody’s life, he truly missed the individuals that he encountered when working. In short, Brody loved doing. He had a unique mindset: work hard by yourself so that you may later have the opportunity to help others. I know that not many of you had the chance to get to know Brody on an incredibly deep level. The few of you who did know that he truly loved the opportunities that he was given. Throughout the struggles that he may have faced, he always kept pushing toward perfection, all while keeping a subtle smile on his face. You all are here for a reason. And with that comes my ability to tell you this: was incredibly grateful to have you in his life, and was even more grateful for all that you did for him. He truly believed that the people he surrounded himself with earned his accomplishments as much as he did, if not more. On behalf of the appreciative soul of Brody Patrick Whalen, I thank you all for being here today…he is truly grateful for each and every one of you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moreau Experience: This integration reminded me of one of my Moreau reflections in particular. During week one, we were prompted to practice “Self-Reflection” after reflecting on the benefits of slowing down our lives (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). The McDonald Center for Wellbeing exercise allowed me to reflect on my entire life up to that point, as well as narrow in on my Notre Dame experience thus far. Through that exercise, I emphasized all of the support systems that I implemented into my studies and extracurriculars. For example, one of the questions https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40377/modules/items/143369 on this form was “who or what supported you this semester?”. I have always been a rather grateful person. My family often tells me that I thank people too much! However, this exercise allowed me to narrow in on the individuals who had helped me in life, and how exactly they assisted me. For this reason, I emphasize my gratitude for these people in my eulogy. Upon writing the eulogy integration, I could not help but think of my certain death. Although death is a scary, mysterious topic for me, I learned about a new, accepting approach to death from Moreau FYE week three. In The New York Times article titled “Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die,” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three), I learned that death ought to be an accepted step in our “life,” rather than a harsh end. While I still found this approach to death rather difficult, I began to think about how I want my life to go up until that point. I particularly hope that people remember me as someone who was grateful for the opportunity to interact with them on any level. Especially during college, many individuals have helped me. For example, teachers, tutor groups, classmates, roommates, and many others have directly helped me in my studies, extracurriculars, and life in general. Because of this, I try to send thank you emails or write thank you letters to people that I believe have truly gone out of their way to help me. After completing Moreau FYE week three, I started to think about what it is I want to do with my life so that when I do die, I will be content. I have always had a passion for the hospital. I used to follow my dad around the hospital when I was younger, and I absolutely loved it. As I grew older, experiences like this became less and less frequent. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40377/modules/items/143393 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40377/modules/items/143393 I believe that it is because of this rarity of certain activities as I grew up that caused me to be so appreciative of the opportunities that I am given. As these hospital experiences grew to become rare, I realized that the hospital is where I want to be. The fact that I was a four year old in scrubs and Lightning McQueen crocs did not stop anyone from interacting with me at the hospital. I was always grateful for the nurses and patients that talked to me and made me feel noticed even as a four year old. Experiences such as these made Moreau Week four easy, as I have been “Navigating [My] Career Journey” (“Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau First Year Experience Course” by Moreau First Year Experience Course - Moreau FYE Week Four) for fifteen years now! I hope to make others feel noticed in the hospital like those nurses and patients did when I was doing rounds with my dad. Because of this, I have sought out opportunities in this line of work, such as the IrishCompass job navigation website (“Discerning a Life Well-Lived Irish Compass Activity” by Moreau First Year Experience Course - Moreau FYE Week Five) used in Moreau Week five. Deciphering what one wants to do with one’s life is not an easy task, regardless of one’s upbringing. While I had the fortunate opportunity to decipher what I want to do with my life, it is not as easy for others. For example, in Moreau Week 6 a video discussed the life of Dr. Jihoon Kim (“5 Minutes” by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six). Unfortunately, he was in an accident early on in his life, which hindered him from opening a sushi restaurant of his own, a dream he had since he was a kid. However, this incident turned out to be less unfortunate than one may think, as he went on to receive his PhD. He used what God gave him to create the best out of a unique situation. While his physical condition may limit him from doing something such as https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z1bZTNU9tpjCnuC9iDFLjslYaX0v4XpBwClh_GynKfo/edit https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40377/modules/items/143452 kicking a soccer ball, it did not stop him from pursuing an exciting life full of wonder and meaning. Likewise, one of my limitations comes with my natural intelligence. I am farthest from the smartest person, especially when it comes to being a student at Notre Dame. But, like Dr. Kim, I try to not let that define me, and persist beyond the limitations I may have. For me, a difficult chemistry class did not limit my passion for becoming a medical professional. Although it may have proven to be a limitation at times, I did not let it become a deciphering factor in my life. In fact, I am grateful for having gone through this experience. It has made me even more grateful for the easier chemistry class that I am in right now! Like Dr. Kim, I tried to create the best out of a difficult situation, which made me incredibly grateful for the new opportunities that I have now. From the story of Dr. Kim, I thought to myself how fortunate I am to hear of humbling encounters like this. Dr. Kim’s father helps him do many of the physical things that he can not do by himself. The world can often seem full of worry and hate. However, the people one surrounds oneself with make life that much more meaningful. As Pope Francis noted in his talk, “the only future worth building includes everyone” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by TED - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Like I said before, I am incredibly grateful for the people that have helped me along “the way.” I truly believe that my successes come from others. I am fairly confident that I would not be at Notre Dame without my family. They have given me the balanced support system that I needed in order to thrive in the different areas of my life. I believe that Father Hesburgh perfectly embodies this statement, as well. He came into Notre Dame and immediately made a huge impact because of the diverse group of individuals that he knew, such as Martin Luther King Jr., numerous presidents, and a number of https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript Cardinals. He was able to improve different aspects of both Notre Dame and the world as a whole through the connections that he made. Through this film, I learned the importance of connections with others. Many of Father Hesburgh’s accomplishments were expanded upon with the help of some of his friends. After watching the “Hesburgh” movie in Moreau FYE week two (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca - Moreau FYE Week Two), I realized what it really means to be content at death. Father Hesburgh made such an impact on other people, and truly took time to get to know the people around him. By the time he died, one could really tell how grateful he was for the relationships he made, which is exactly how I want people to remember me. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9