Integration Three Matsumoto 1 Professor Espeseth Moreau 3/4/2022 The Legacy of “Memento mori is: Where am I headed, where do I want to end up?” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” by Ruth Graham - Moreau FYE Week Three). My sister, Hannah truly embodied this principle by living every day with the end in mind. I remember talking to her one day about the idea of death for her Honors Seminar final discussion. She was asked to reflect on how to give people dignity in their death. She was truly struck by the idea that every day that we live ultimately shapes our death. This had a wide impact on how she approached her relationships and how she treated others. While she was in no way perfect, Hannah treated others with respect and love which led to lifelong friendships. Her emphasis on creating lasting relationships was reflected in this one quote she heard by Pope Francis, “[w]e can only build a future by standing together and including everybody” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven). I think this really informed her interest in international health care and the numerous Medical Trips to Ghana and Kenya she made with our mom. Each time she would come back feeling empowered to make a change for people in need. I think that she always felt that these underserved individuals should have a voice and be given access to basic healthcare. Had she not passed, I think Hannah would have joined Doctors Without Borders and made even wider changes. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript Matsumoto 2 Her values were also incredibly important to her. I remember calling her one week after her weekly Moreau and she told me about a figure they learned about, Father Hesburgh. “This was someone who was totally committed to his country, to his faith, and to what was right” (“Hesburgh” produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley - Moreau FYE Week Two). The considerable impact that he had on Notre Dame shaped her experience at the school. Father Hesburgh’s dedication impacted the way that Notre Dame students felt connected to each other and the school. These values impacted many of the classes that she took her freshman year where they looked at many past philosophers. I think that through these readings Hannah was able to develop her own set of values through discussions with her fellow classmates. While she often complained about these courses, through these authentic conversations and relationships, she fostered her love of learning in a different way. However things weren’t always positive for Hannah, she also went through a lot of hardships in her first year of college. I once read that, “stress will be the epidemic of the twenty-first century” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week One). This was really well reflected in my sister’s premed experience. Often she would stay up till 4 am writing essays, doing homework, and studying to keep up with her classmates. I think this often fostered feelings of inadequacy and caused her to constantly compare herself to those around her. What really got her through these intense times of stress were the deep friendships that she formed with her roommates and friends. These girls were a good support system and really helped her through the big changes that occurred with the adjustment to college. Her brother was a congenital amputee and in elementary school, there were young children who would make fun of his arm. We would often watch TED talks together about people with disabilities who have overcome these challenges. In one of these TED talks, the man https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ Matsumoto 3 states, “[t]he 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 from God” (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr - Moreau FYE Week Six). I think this had a considerable impact on her relationship with God. Often when faced with hardship I think Hannah would turn to God and ask for him to make the troubles go away. However, one cannot be great without adversity and these challenges often made her stronger. Over time, Hannah learned how to respond to these situations by following God’s example and responding to the issue with a virtuous mindset. “Every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not!” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by Moreau Family Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week Four). Hannah was very experience-oriented and would emphasize having memorable times with her friends and family. We traveled every year to a new country and each time, we would spend the entire time laughing. These were some of our favorite moments of our childhood and formed her love of traveling. We had very limited opportunities to all see each other every year and these were the moments that really bonded us all together. I think each of us(her siblings) taught her how to mature in different ways and shaped her in different ways. These moments shaped how family-oriented we all were, and I think Hannah would have wanted to instill this value in her children when she got older. “The process of discernment is an ongoing, lifelong endeavor” (“Week Five Dsicernment Conversation Activity” Moreau Activity - Moreau FYE Week Five). Hannah was constantly developing her own opinion. I think especially during high school and college many of her ideas were challenged and adjusted, but the main thing that she focused on was improving herself every day. I think that this is at the end of it all the best that we can do. Forming relationships, attempting to improve, and creating long-lasting memories that we can look back and be proud https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit Matsumoto 4 of. I truly hope that Hannah was proud of these moments in the end and would be able to look back with fondness and love for the legacy that she created.