eulogy integration Clumsily Striving toward the Good Welcome dearest friends and family. I would first like to extend my immeasurable gratitude to all of you for the roles you played in shaping the young woman whose life we gather to celebrate today. I would secondly like to acknowledge the elephant in the room (or perhaps in the sky). Yes, it's me. Abigail Shannon Chittle – the one and only. The girl whose name is printed on the worship aide that you are probably sitting on. And yes I am writing my own eulogy (I apologize in advance for the somewhat jarring switches from first person to third person and the confusing narrative point of view). It's a bit out of the ordinary, and trust me, it's quite an odd experience for me as well. Despite the somewhat absurd impossibility of this situation ever occurring, I will do my best to proceed with integrity (although I have to admit I may be a bit biased). Alright then here we go. “Happiness changes from moment to moment, day to day. Joy, on the other hand, is much deeper and much more central, it comes from within, and it's a genuine rightness in how one lives one’s life” (“Three Key Questions” by Father Micheal Himes Moreau FYE Week Three). Abigail Shannon Chittle – known by most as Abby (with the exception of her dad who called her Abigail) truly understood this and spent much of her life trading happiness for joy. While she may have thought “Abby” was a boring and overused name, she loved that her full name, Abigail, means “a father’s joy”. She sought to live up to the name and strove to be a source of joy in not only the life of her father and all those she encountered but to her heavenly Father as well. While she understood joy to be “a genuine rightness in how to live one’s life” she didn’t quantify this by the college she chose, the grades she earned, the hobbies she enjoyed, or the career paths that she considered but rather she believed that how she lived her life would be determined by the her relationships with other people and with God. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40299/files/467258?module_item_id=143051 It is often understood that “the more we can contact others, the more, it sometimes seems, we lose contact with ourselves.” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Iyer Moreau FYE Week One), but Abby could not accept this notion. While it was often hard for her to overcome her insecurities about what other people thought about her, she genuinely valued her interactions, connections, and relationships with others above any material possessions. This being said, she often had times when she struggled with exactly who she was in the tangle of relationships that defined her life. Although she knew that “people who possess greater insight — which he defines as an intuitive understanding of ourselves — enjoy stronger relationships, a clearer sense of purpose and greater well-being, self-acceptance and happiness” (“The right way to be introspective (yes there’s a wrong way)” by Tasha Eurich, PhD Moreau FYE Week Six), she often had to deliberately slow down, take a step back, and look inward lest she get lost in the space between herself and others. I could have spent these minutes giving you a chronological summary of the first two decades of Abby’s life, but she herself would tell you that that would be a bit boring. She did not think her life was very eventful, with the most notable aspects being her growing up as the second of nine siblings and having her dad as her high school principal. She would tell you that she never decided on a career path with the excuse that “There are so many career paths and industries out there that it’s best not to limit yourself too much ” (“Navigating your Career Journey” by Merulo Family Center for Career Development Moreau FYE Week Four). Abby enjoyed so many things in life – reading anything from the classics to romance novels, singing – whether on stage or in the shower, running (although she would tell you she hated to race), children – whether they be her siblings or the cute kids in the church pew in front of her, learning anything but calculus, writing in run on sentences, being outdoors in the beauty of creation, https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey/ https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey/ acting in musicals in perhaps offensive british accents, losing her breath playing soccer (even after being concussed by the ball), and being a little too competitive during family game nights. But despite these many interests, she never felt that she had a deep “passion” for any specific field. Rather, she found her deepest fulfillment living out her Catholic faith and helping others. She strove to live her life according to Pope Francis that “When one realizes that life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, that love is the source and the meaning of life, how can they withhold their urge to do good to another fellow being?” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” by His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences Moreau FYE Week Seven). Abby’s dad once commented that what she most valued and desired in life was “to do the good in front of her, serve God, and submit to His will” (“Moreau FYE Week Five Discernment Conversation Activity” by Erick Chittle Moreau FYE Week Five). Now Abby would be the first one to tell you that while this is what she desired she most often fell short of this and struggled every day to orient her life towards God’s will. Her faith was the source of her identity and through her “faith [she] learn[ed] there is meaning in struggle” (“Hesburgh” by Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. Moreau FYE Week Two) as she strove to approach obstacles with faith-founded optimism. She was by no means a saint or even close, but the promise of eternal life was the ideal she strove for. Her life was a collection of clumsy stumbles (both physically and spiritually) on the path towards eternal union with the Father aided by the guidance of many of you here. Thank you all for the essential parts you played in shaping the life of Abby and as a side note she will be accepting prayers for her soul’s eventual acceptance into heaven (God willing). https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-the-only-future-worth-building-includes-everyone-pope-francis https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-the-only-future-worth-building-includes-everyone-pope-francis https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9