Integration 3 Moreau FYS 3/4/2022 Wise Last Words for Will We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of William Heffernan. Now Will accomplished so much in his life well lived and he told me that he would not have been as fulfilled had it not been for what he learned in his freshman year moreau class. One of his favorite quotes was from Father Hesburgh, a famous president of Notre Dame, “We do not prove something by tearing it down. We prove something by building it up” (Week 2). Although, Will thought it best to substitute something with someone. He lived life with the philosophy that putting someone else down, never brought you up. He always tried his best to see the best in others just how many of his family and friends saw the best in him and reminded him of his worth every day. As a result, he built meaningful relationships with each and every person that he met. I am sure many of you here have stories where Will helped bring you up, or talked you through a difficult decision. I know that whenever he was faced with a dilemma or just a life change in general he would always turn to his family and friends and ask them self-reflective questions. This habit started after Week 5 of Moreau when he had to call a friend about his college major discernment. The conversation led to Will having a better understanding of what core values are most important to him in his schoolwork and in the workplace. On top of this, it also benefited the friend he talked to who was also choosing what to major in. So Will made it a mission to make sure that he turned those uncomfortable conversations into comfortable ones where both parties walked away in a better place than where they started. Notre Dame also provided help along the way, “There is no ‘best major’ out there - but there is a ‘best major for you”(Week 4). Over his four college years Will was able to discern what he wanted to do post graduation, and took a job with a tidal energy firm. A large part of taking this job was that it was giving back to the ocean and beach community that he grew up in. It was important to Will that the job he would work for most of his life made a difference in the world, even if it was as small as finding more sustainable ways to produce energy. After college, Will took what he had learned in school into the real world. While Will loved his job and took pride in all the work that he did, he always made sure that it never took over his life completely. He made time for family, friends, fun, and rest. He often sighted Pico Iyer on why keeping a work life balance was so important, “The more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be, most often” (Week 1). His co-workers always said was most productive after taking a break to go surf with his kids. If the waves were good you could always find Will out there, even if it was just for a few minutes during a lunch break. Will always preached about the importance of not losing yourself in work. He often put it to me as the difference between happiness and joy. Work can bring a lot of happiness, as it provides financial stability and material goods. However, money can not buy joy. Will believed that Fr. Michael Himes’ definition of joy was right, “Joy always pushes us forward. It’s an impulsion, a pressure to move forward, to do more, to extend oneself more deeply, more richly, to open one's talents even more widely than one had before'' (Week 3). Will was adamant that this joy, this impulsion only came from true life giving relationships. Most times it is others that open our eyes to the talents we have, and encourage us to pursue lives that suit those talents in order that we make the most of the gifts that we are given. Another story from his moreau class that Will shared with me was when they read a chapter from Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle. This book is all about acceptance and how community is inherent to being human. In the specific chapter that they read Father Boyle and prisoners sneak away to cook an iguana together. Will’s favorite line from the story, as I am sure many of us know, was, “Alone they didn’t have much but together they had a potful of plenty” (Week 7). Will made it a point to share all that he had. He used to say “What is the point of having a ball if you have no one to have a catch with.” Now that applies to much more than just material things, sharing love, time and energy are also important in relationships. As I wrap up, someone passing away always brings about self-reflection and thoughts about how we are doing in our own lives. Will did spend a lot of time in self reflection especially towards the end of his life. However, when he talked about bettering oneself by taking a step back he cautioned not to get lost in it or to dwell on the wrong things. Again moreau was important for getting self reflection right. Tasha Eurich says, “we can spend endless amounts of time in self-reflection but emerge with no more self-insight than when we started” (Week 6). So if you do some self reflection in the upcoming days, Will wants to make sure that you focus on both the good and bad things in your life, think about the steps you can take to bring about positive change. Remember to act on those steps too because just thinking about your problem and goals is not going to solve/achieve them. I hope you all were as inspired from Will’s well lived life as I was and that you will use this inspiration to make an impact on those around you. Works Cited “https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ ” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1 Father Hesburg - in the movie Hesburg - Moreau FYE Week Two Three Key Questions (adapted from Fr. Michael Himes) - Moreau FYE Week Three “https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/” - Moreau FYE Week Four “https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/” - by Tasha Eurich Moreau Week Six https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40380/files/523817/download?download_frd=1 = by Greg Boyle Moreau FYE Week Seven https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40380/files/523817/download?download_frd=1