Integration Three 
An Ode to  
	How would Bridget have wanted to be remembered? Well, she thrived off the ability to make people laugh. There was never a dull moment when Bridget would talk. She had a unique ability of keeping her friends grounded while also comforting and hyping them up. Her sarcasm kept everyone on their toes, while also adding comedic relief when necessary. Bridget always prided herself in not being surface level and creating meaningful relationships with all her friends. She was truly a woman who loved to make others feel loved. She always knew how to calm down a hectic situation and bring people back to a meditated state. She had that special effect on people and she built peoples trust because of that. “Half the confusion in the world comes from not knowing how little we need” ("Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives" by Pico Iyer- Moreau FYE- Week One). Everyone needs a stabilizer in their life and I know that Bridget was the person for many people.   
	If Bridget was nothing else she was definitely authentic. She never wanted to portray an image that she wasn’t proud of. She would say things even when her friends didn’t want to hear it, but she was always authentic with everyone. David Brook posed the question, “Should you live for your resume...or your eulogy?” (“Hesburgh” by David Brook- Moreau FYE Week Two). The short-minded answer would be your resume, monetary success, and a high executive position; however, Bridget was never worried about her level of monetary success. All those things are rewarding; however, nothing is more rewarding than how people will remember you. Bridget was also a great leader she always loved getting involved in leadership activities. She found such joy in bringing people together and providing them with a good example of how to lead. In high school, she was appointed to several leadership positions. In the end, it was not the title that rewarded her, it was the lessons she learned from everyone around her. 
	An absence of joy can lead to failures in many different parts of your life. Most importantly it leads to an absence of happiness. “Joy always pushes us forward. It’s a impulsion, a pressure to move forward, to do more, to expend oneself more deeply, more richly, to open ones talents even more widely than one had before” ("Three Key Questions" by Fr. Michael Himes- Moreau FYE Week Three). Joy is the key to succeeding in life. If you don’t enjoy what you do and find joy in it you will not perform well. This works in many aspects of your life whether it is a school subject, a sport, or a job. If you hate the subject, you are learning in school you’re more likely to be unmotivated to successfully complete an assignment or do well on the homework’s or exams. If you do not enjoy the sport, you are playing you will dread going to practice and feel as if it is a waste of time. Lastly, if you don’t enjoy your job, you are less likely to succeed at the task at hand. As the quote states, joy pushes us forward, and motivates us to do more. If you enjoy what you are doing it will bring you joy and therefore further succeed in life. A life without joy is undeniably hard. However, when you find the thing that brings you the most joy take it and run with it. Bridget always made a conceited effort to place her own happiness in the center of her life. 
	Bridget always was passionate about whatever she started. If she began a task, she would always make sure to complete it with the utmost effort. Sure, there would be times when she didn’t want to finish what she started but one thing Bridget wasn’t was a quitter. The only way you will ever find true happiness is if you love what you do. Bridget was a brave example of how you can chase your dreams and maybe it wasn’t the kosher route, but it was what she gravitated towards the most. This came into play when she got a job out of college. She worked in sports with a very low paying salary but she went to work every day and loved what she did. She would always remind her miserable finance friends that it is vital that you remain openminded to changing a career path even if it is hard to do. At the end of the day you are going to be most successful doing what you love. “There are so many career paths and industries out there that it’s best not to limit yourself too much right off the bat” ("Navigating your Career Path" by Meruelo Family Center for Career Development- Moreau FYE Week Four). She always reminded people that it was never too late to chase your childhood dreams! She would always tell us to channel our inner kid and live life freely. She was never a proponent of the cookie cutter life track she always liked keeping life interesting. 
	Bridget always valued her family. She would always say her siblings and parents were her biggest inspirations. They always encouraged her to be her most authentic self. They embraced her laughter and jokes even if they were at their expense. “She was always the light in our life making us laugh until our belly’s hurt”, said her sister. Bridget gushed about the love she had for her parents. When I started to think about who knew her best and had seen her live out her full potential the first two people, I thought of were her parents. They’ve seen her grow, struggle, and succeed in everything she’s have done. When I asked them the first question, what do you think she most valued and desired in life they quickly said, “the ability to make people laugh.” I smiled when I heard that answer, I said to myself, “yes, that is Bridget, that’s her.” As a kid people would never see her without a smile on her face. Her mom recalled her walking through the supermarket and waving and smiling to every person she saw. (Reflection- Moreau FYE Week 5). 
	Bridget never faced extreme adversity, but when she was faced with a bump in the road she knew how to tackle the issue. “When hard things happen to us we often focus on the things we don’t have” ("5 Minutes" by Aria Swarr- Moreau FYE Week Six). Humans often have a narrow-minded view on life and its hardships. When we are faced with challenges, we are put to the test on how we will react. God puts certain obstacles in your life so you can persevere through them. Instead of looking for the bad in the situation you can be grateful for what you still have. In order to live your life well you must overcome these obstacles and respond in a positive manner. Although the positivity will not always come right away, bad situations help you appreciate what you have so much more. Suffering often makes us stronger. Once we can persevere through something hard, the other minor issues seem irrelevant. Struggles put everything into perspective and help to pinpoint what is essential in life. 
	When I was writing this part of the eulogy, I struck inspiration from Greg Boyle. I thought of judgement and how it is so easy to make quick judgments of people and trust me everyone has their fair share of judgements. Bridget was not perfect in this was she would judge people unrightfully so, but then again who doesn’t? “Sometimes we strike the high moral distance of judgement—moving our protected jurisdiction far from each other” ("Jurisdiction" by Greg Boyle- Moreau FYE Week Seven). Greg Boyle is a very inspirational man. He believes that even if he can’t change everyone, he can still make a small impact. He chose to focus on a very specific task that he wanted to accomplish. He wanted to make a difference in people’s lives; specifically, gang members. Not many people would be brave enough to go face to face with the head of a gang and tell him that you “didn’t like the way they were talking.” He has gained the respect of large groups of gang members through Los Angeles. Greg Boyle had dedicated his life to changing other people’s lives. He goes to work every day in hope that he can change at least one gang members perspective. He is a true inspiration to people all around the world. And although Bridget didn’t make the impact Greg Boyle did she always went out of her way to make people feel special and she never gave up on someone when they were struggling.