Grace McKenna
Taylor Kelly
Moreau FYE
1 March, 2022
A Beginning, a Celebration, a Love, an Eternal Life
Today we are here to honor, remember, and celebrate Grace Emily McKenna, a daughter, a sister, a twin, a leader, and most importantly a friend to all.  She had a charisma for life and wanted everyone to share in it.  Being quite possibly the most approachable person, not only because of her height, but also her outgoing nature and self-awareness, Grace understood the importance of friendships and made it her goal to serve others.  Growing up in Morristown, New Jersey, Grace was always a mischievous little child.  She was never afraid to cause trouble and definitely never afraid to put herself out from the crowd.  While her sisters were inside playing tea party, Grace was outside exploring the world, most times crawling in mud, climbing trees, sprinting through bushes, and making up enchanted games in her head.  She never succumbed to society’s stereotype of the Gen Z generation of technology and internet sensation, but instead built a pillow out of leaves, tied it to the tree and practiced reflection and mindfulness without even knowing it ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Iyer Pico–Moreau FYE Week One).  It was through this self reflection that we often did not see that helped shape Grace’s personality.  Not only was she always looking on the bright side, but she also knew what she wanted and went after it with everything she had.  Her mindfulness led her to listen in the silence and understand life’s calls in a way that many people, including her family, could not.  We thought it was a rash decision when Grace wanted to join ROTC or have dreams to become a physical therapist, when in reality she had seen the signs and thought long and hard about her choice.  She knew her path in life because she knew who she was, a person dedicated to bringing joy to others, and as a result was able to connect that desire to a career path (Navigating Your Career Journey by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development–Moreau FYE Week 4).
What she desired most above all was making other people happy.  She often made it a point to tell her family and friends that as long as they were happy, she too was also happy.  She lived through others constantly trying to put their needs before hers.  For it was through these inner values of service that made her most joyful and as a result led to her purpose in life.  She truly lived the words that her Grandma had already preached constantly about life, “Life is simple if you break it down, so just keep moving step by step and take every moment you have to look around” (Reflection to a Life Well Lived–Moreau FYE Week Five).  In addition, with her outgoing personality, she had a natural ability to bring all different people together.  She never had a main friend group but instead talked to everyone she could, trying to make sure everyone was welcomed and loved.  Often, she looked for those hiding in the shadows and brought them to life, showing them the values of love and friendship that she held onto so tightly.  Though no one can compare to Father Hesburgh, Grace shared his same strength for building relationships by simply being herself and connecting with people, not for the sake of popularity or building herself up, but for the genuine love of others and human connection (Hesburgh by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley–Moreau FYE Week Two).  However, of course there were times when Grace faced many challenges and difficulties.  Those obstacles led her to lack self confidence and sometimes even doubt herself and decisions.  The “why me” questions swept through her because many times her strong effort did not pay off.  She was one of the hardest workers I ever knew, always pushing herself to new levels, always believing she could indeed work harder instead of remaining at the bar.  It was hard for me to watch her sometimes as she sacrificed so much time and energy to not receive the results she deserved.  However, this never stopped Grace–a person highly motivated and disciplined.  Instead, she “turned the why questions into what questions” in order to continue moving forward in her purpose (The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There's a Wrong Way by Tasha Eurich–Moreau FYE Week 6).  Questions like what can I still do, what can I do to improve myself, what don’t I understand, what kind of person am I, all shaped Grace’s mindset to overcome those obstacles.  She would find another way, another solution.  With this new growth mindset, she became a more self-sufficient and hard working person.  However, because of the many and important connections she built through the years, she knew she was never alone even when her mind tried to make her believe it so.  Rather, she was more grateful during the low moments in her life because of the relationships that supported her, as she supported them in return.  The importance of these friendships helped her find hope and stay motivated to keep moving forward—something that she reminds all people to do as well.  Like Pope Francis explained, “Happiness can only be discovered as a gift of harmony between the whole and each single component” (Why the only future worth building includes everyone by His Holiness Pope Francis–Moreau FYE Week 7).  Grace fully embodied this message everyday—bringing people together through happiness.  
 And so today, we remember the beautiful death of a beautiful person.  Like Sr. Theresa Aletheia believes in “remembering your death,” or “memento mori,” Grace was a person that lived her life everyday to the fullest.  She loved the thrill, loved the risk, and understood that every single day is a day one might not wake up, and so if you do get another chance to begin a new day, smile and make it count (Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die by Ruth Graham–Moreau FYE Week Three).  Whether Grace was competing with her team, laughing with her sisters, spontaneously surprising her friends, easily entertaining herself and others, sharing funny stories whenever she could, or challenging those around her, she was always bringing the best out of people.  We will miss her iconic smirk, her small but mighty personality, her tight, sometimes too tight, hugs, but most importantly the genuine joy and love she constantly brought to all of us.  I know up there somewhere she will be guiding us and screaming to every Notre Dame football game.  I hope to continue to share her optimism to the world and keep smiling like I know she would.  Grace has led a life of success, maybe not for her grand accomplishments, but for bringing a new perspective to life that not many people have.  One of service, true joy, and reflection.  One that will be remembered forever.