Integration #3 natalia soto EULOGY.docx



March 4th, 2020
Moreau FYE

Integration Three

The Life of 

Today, we get together to celebrate the life of our beloved . All of us have
known Natalia in different ways: as a caring mother, friend, wife, daughter, and the list goes on.
Personally, I had the privilege of knowing Natalia as a friend, my best friend. Today, words
cannot express the grief I feel at her loss. Natalia was the light of so many lives, especially mine.
Everywhere she went, you could hear her laughing, which reflected her charisma and
enthusiasm- some of the many characteristics that I will never forget about her. Her presence was
a force, which is how she will be remembered by all of us.

Natalia touched my life profoundly, as I am sure she did all of yours. She left many
lessons and memories that will stay with me forever. I remember how she was always there for
me in the worst times of my life, helping me and pushing me to keep going. I remember her
expressing how important it was to accept our mistakes and failures and not let those things
determine who we were and what we could achieve. I remember her constantly quoting Fr.
Hesburgh when he said, “It’s impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one
doesn’t speak of human failings as well as human
successes.”(https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7e
ca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE
Week Two). We always try to seek perfection and success. And yes, it is essential to have goals
and the purpose of achieving those goals that bring success. However, it is also necessary to
recognize that it is okay to fail and make mistakes. Life is a learning process, and we can’t learn
if we don’t make mistakes. Therefore, we should embrace all our qualities, including our flaws,
and more importantly, we should embrace all our accomplishments and all our failings and
understand that in the end, those are the things that make us strong and that make us who we are.
And that is precisely what Natalia did. She based her life on embracing every moment,
experience, and lesson, whether it was a positive or negative one, and in the end, that is one of
the qualities that made her the successful and strong person she came to be.

Natalia was the most persevering and determined person I had ever met. She believed in
the product of hard work and therefore worked very hard to achieve all her goals. I remember her
telling me how sometimes days went by, and she was so focused on her work she didn’t have a
single moment to breathe, which was not always the ideal thing to happen. However, with time,

https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9
https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9


she understood the importance of taking a minute for herself, a minute to breathe and slow down.
By doing this, she allowed herself to see the real meaning and purpose of life, or whatever it is
she was taking a minute from. She allowed herself to recognize what was in front of her, which
reflected how deeply she cared for the purpose and real meaning of what surrounded her. There
is a statement that I could use to reflect precisely what Natalia meant by taking a break. “It’s easy
to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and
changing with every microsecond. It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we
can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger
picture.”(https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ By Pico Lyer, TED - Moreau
FYE Week One). I am sure Natalia would want all of us to follow her word on taking a minute
for us, and that way, appreciate what is in front of us, just like she did.

As you can see, Natalia cared about every little or simple thing. She believed everything
was of great importance because at the end, “Every experience shapes you in some way, whether
you realize it at the moment or not.”
(https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Muerelo Family
Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). That is one of the things I admired
the most about Natalia. She understood the impact every experience has on us, whether it’s
something positive or negative, because, in the end, those experiences are what shape us into the
person we become. Furthermore, by having this in mind, we can appreciate more every moment,
even the little
ones, and motivates ourselves to seek significant and memorable experiences like the ones we
shared with Natalia and ones that can improve the person we’ve become and the person we want
to be. Natalia lived a life well-lived, in part because of her knowledge and acceptance of the
significant impact each experience has in each of our lives.

Now that I mentioned the concept of a life well-lived, I think of the last conversation I
had with Natalia. She knew this day was coming, so she asked me to meet her for a significant
conversation. So we went to my backyard and sat in front of my pool. Sitting there, we started
reminiscing about all the good memories and experiences we shared together; how we used to
come to my house and just spend hours in the pool, laughing, playing games, and having the best
times. After a while, she told me how she wanted to thank me for being one of the significant
factors that made her believe she lived a well-lived life. Natalia was a true believer in the
importance of strong and real relationships. For her, having people that loved her and vice versa
was one of the things she valued the most—hearing my best friend thanking me for the special
and real relationship we had created filled my heart with so much joy and gratitudeu. Natalia was
and will remain to be my best friend. Thanks to her, I understood how powerful a relationship
can come to be and how important it is to surround ourselves with genuine relationships like my
friendship with Natalia.

https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/
https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/


Another of the many things I admire about Natalia is how she based her life on hope and
faith. "Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn't lock itself into darkness, that doesn't dwell on the
past, does not simply get by in the present, bus is able to see
tomorrow."(https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_
building_includes_everyone/transcript By Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Especially
during difficult times, hope is that light that pushes us away from the darkness and lets us
continue. Natalia always relied on hope and always reinforced her point of how she believed all
of us should do our best to seek hope and faith, as well as embrace our relationship with God.
She focused on how God helped her live life with joy and gratitude as sad in
(https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/ Aria
Swarr, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week Six), “But at the same time, the purpose of my life is not
simply about overcoming suffering. Suffering is part of our lives. It is always there, but it is
about how to respond to suffering with God. And that’s the reason how I was able to go through
them and still trust in God and live with joy and gratitude.” Suffering is a big part of all human
beings’ lives. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, a setback on an important project, an
emotional or physical injury– we all have to deal with it. However, life is way more than
suffering. It is about enjoyment, satisfaction, laughter with the people around us. Regarding
suffering, individuals need to avoid getting sidetracked and think that life revolves around
overcoming suffering because it is way beyond that. That is why Natalia always focused on;
making sure she found the good in every day and lived her life focused on what made her happy.

To conclude, I left what I considered to be the most valuable factor that made Natalia the
remarkable person she was. She had a kind of motto, and she focused on living according to her
“motto’’ which was making the best out of life like it was the last day. As stated
in(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html By Ruth Graham, Ny times
- Moreau FYE Week Three), “The concept is to intentionally think about your own death every
day, as a means of appreciating the present and focusing on the future.” This is a powerful
message, but one that reflects exactly how Natalia tried to live her life. As humans, we are aware
that our time in this world will eventually come to an end. However, I think sometimes we forget
what that really means. We forget to focus on the present and live for today. That is what Natalia
tried to avoid; she tried to live this life like every day was the last one. By saying this, I mean she
tried to stop worrying so much and start actually living, trying to make the best out of her life,
and enjoying the beauty of it. She focused her energy on the positive things that she enjoyed and
fulfilled her.

Natalia was someone to admire; she left us with many lessons and experiences that will
remain with us for the rest of our lives. She came to this world and impacted the lives of many.
Now she is gone physically, but her presence and our love for her will always stay with us.

https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript
https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript
https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html


Natalia lived a life well-lived, filled with love, real relationships, failures, success, and many
more. We should use Natalia as an inspiration. All that I am left to say is thank you, I am forever
thankful for knowing Natalia and creating such a beautiful relationship like the one we made. I
will keep living for her, always have her in my heart, and remember her as the enthusiastic,
brilliant, unique, and special person she always was.