Remembering my Roommate and Role Model When you lose a loved one, there are many moments of grief you experience as you learn to live your life without them. While today we mourn the loss of our dear Abigail, we also celebrate the life she lived and the joy she brought us each day we shared with her. Abby would not want us to mourn her, but rather celebrate her, therefore, the reception will be a moment to share our favorite memories about our girl. She was a bright light in all of our lives and would never want to be remembered as old, but rather, vivacious, and quick-witted. As she would say, her prime years were her twenties, hence her prayer card and program photo being from the 2020s, before the wrinkles. Her beauty had nothing to do with her good genes and rigorous skincare routine, but her wisdom, insane sense of humor, and wicked dance moves. She brought the party with her wherever she went. During our college years, we were attached at the hip, starting out as randomly assigned roommates and quickly became the best of friends. She became the little sister I never had, and it deeply saddens me to be standing here before you, knowing that she passed before me. I would give anything, do anything to get just one last Abby hug and hear her contagious laugh once more. Abby was a go-getter with an insane work ethic. I quite honestly thought that she was insane. Back in our time at Notre Dame, I was an English and Global Affairs major, and she was a Neuroscience and Spanish major on the Pre-med track. As she studied for hours and hours in the library each day, I would take breaks from writing my papers to bring her snacks. Every time I found her with the same huge smile on her face, head buried in a Spanish literature textbook or laser focused on her organic chemistry problems. I remember her complaining to me about how smart other kids were and how she felt like she didn’t belong in the same classroom as them. Abby was not afraid to put in more time and effort than other kids. She never shied away from a challenge. After all of the stress and self-doubt, my incredibly smart sidekick always came home and yelled, “Maggieeee, I did it! I got an A!” I never doubted her for a second. Each and every time I gleamed with pride, and we celebrated to our theme song, “Big Energy.” Despite her hours and hours of work, Abby never let her stress consume her and juggled her responsibilities with such grace. I’ll never forget the day I was telling her about how stressed I was, with an economics exam and 3 English papers due on the same day. “Maggie,” she said, “Gandhi once said ‘This is going to be a very busy day. I won’t be able to meditate for an hour. I’ll have to meditate for two.’ You’re going to be just fine Mags. You have to relax a bit if you really want to be productive!” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” by Pico Lyer https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41088/modules/items/146492 - Moreau FYE Week One). She was right. Everything did end up just fine. She had an insane ability to see the importance of balance in life. She never lost sight of what was important to her and always maintained a sense of peace and joy wherever she went. She was too busy appreciating the way that the woman at the front of the dining hall smiled at her every morning, the fleeting moments of sunshine in South Bend, the drums playing in the background at milkshake mass, and all of the beauty of life, to get too upset when obstacles arose in her life. She appreciated everything she had immensely. (“5 Minutes” by Aria Swarr https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god- allowsuffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 – Moreau FYE Week 6). Abby always took breaks in between studying to dance to Mama Mia https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/41088/modules/items/146492 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allowsuffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allowsuffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 songs, she never skipped her essential daily workout, and every time she saw someone she knew, she would stop and check on them to make sure they were doing well. Abby had an incredible gift for making people feel special and loved. She reminded me a lot of Father Hesburgh, an important figure in the Notre Dame and global community. She could take two people who hated each other, put them in the same room together, crack some jokes to get the conversation going, and suddenly a sense of connection, understanding, and appreciation flowed throughout the room. She wanted everyone to at least try to understand and appreciate each other, and she went out of her way to make it happen. (“Hesburgh” by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malle https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549- 8581-ab9500c9ecd9 – Moreau FYE Week Two). Abby always told me that she just wanted to help people and she used her talents to do just that. She dedicated her life to being the best daughter, wife, best friend, and doctor that she could be. She always loved Biology and Neuroscience more than anything and paired with her incredible ability to make people feel comfortable around her, I knew she was meant to be a doctor. While many people go into the medical field for the pay that it comes with, Abby cared about her job and all of her patients far more than any of the money that she earned. (“Exploring a Life Well-Lived, Career Development Reflection” Mereulo Family Center for Career Development, https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ – Moreau FYE Week Four). Abby was always aware that she was going to die one day and lived with an eagerness to get out and do as much as she could in the time she had. (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die,” By Ruth Graham https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html - Moreau FYE Week Three). 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 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Her love for medicine allowed her to help so many women in the United States, but she still wanted to do more. She took off traveling, using her love of Spanish to impact lives all over the world. I had to practically drag her out of Guatemala, and without my pleads for her to return, she absolutely would have stayed. I remember back in college when she was so worried about her career path and constantly questioning whether or not she would ever be able to make it. (“Week Five Discernment Conversation,” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx- u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit?usp=sharing - Moreau FYE Week Five). Thank goodness she stuck with it because it was truly her calling. She transformed the lives of thousands of people with her passion for medicine and forming genuine connections with others. Abby saw the best in everyone around her. When she met someone who disagreed with her, she shrugged her shoulders and considered their opinion before shooting back with her own. She lived with an open mindset and always wanted to learn, adapt, and grow. Pope Francis once stated, “Tenderness means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future.” (Why the only future worth building includes everyone” His Holiness Pope Francis, TED Conferences, https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_inc ludes_everyone/transcript - Moreau FYE Week Seven). Abby really embodied this quote, and constantly opened her heart to strangers without hesitation. My best friend was a lot of things. She was humorous, witty, intelligent, and entertaining, but most importantly she was selfless. She dedicated herself to serving others, while spreading her contagious positivity and laughter wherever she went. I know we will all miss her greatly and know she is dancing like crazy in heaven right now, making everyone around her laugh. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit?usp=sharing 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