| Cathy's Eulogy
Before I read to you what I have prepared, I’d like to share
with you a prayer that was sent by Cathy to her sister Betsy and
a few other friends the day before she died. What had become clear
to Betsy and to so many of us recently was how much of a spiritual
awakening Cathy was having, and how peaceful she had become at the
end of her life. It could have been a mere coincidence that she
sent this prayer the day before she died, but we’d like to
think that in some kind of heightened awareness she left this to
us for a reason
ST. THERESA’S PRAYER OF CONSOLATION
May today there be peace within;
May you trust in almighty God that you are exactly where you are
meant to be;
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of Faith;
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the
love that has been given to you;
May you be content knowing you are a child of God;
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the
freedom to sing and dance;
It is there for each and every one of you.
What I have to say today about Cathy—about who she was and
what she meant to us—won’t be surprising or profound
to most of you gathered here; because the words I speak are already
in the collective consciousness of all of us who are here to remember
and celebrate her life.
Some of us may have known Cathy for only a short period of time.
Some of us may have known her, like I had, for over ten years. And
some of us had the privilege of knowing Cathy for the thirty-seven
years she spent with us in this life. But whether you’re a
new friend, an old friend, or family, we all knew Cathy to be a
person with a soul full of energy and compassion, and whatever she
put her soul into, so went all her energy and compassion.
Like her work with the Border Patrol: it wasn’t enough for
her to simply do her job and then go home—Cathy ran every
day to stay physically fit; she spent weekends at the shooting range
to improve her marksmanship; she served as an advisor to the agency’s
Explorer program, in an attempt to help disadvantaged youths overcome
their adversities through peer-to-peer contact and adult mentoring—which
led her to the volunteer work that she so enjoyed with “Stand
Up For Kids,” a non-profit outreach organization making a
difference in the lives of homeless and at-risk youths; she also
devoted her time to the agency’s Peer Support Unit, assisting
families of her fellow co-workers who were injured or killed in
the line of duty, for which she was recently recognized and received
a special commendation in January of this year.
Cathy had a sincere desire to succeed and improve upon whatever
she did, so she put her soul into work, and so went all her energy
and compassion.
Like her love for animals: if it were possible for a human being
to become a soul mate to an animal, Cathy would have been the first
in line, ticket #1. Anyone who knew her knew Cathy’s love
for animals ran deep and wide—she would exert any amount of
compassion to help them, and extraordinary amounts of energy to
love them. Dogs, especially English Bulldogs, and pigs, especially
pot-bellied pigs, were among her favorite companions. But the appreciation
and conservation of all wildlife was important to her. The story
has been related by a fellow co-worker of Cathy coming across a
pair of beached and abandoned seal pups, and then badgering Sea
World into sending handlers down to rescue and take care of them.
Because of her concern for the well being of these seals, one of
the pups was named in her honor—a tribute I am sure she cherished
more than Sea World could have known.
Cathy had a special place in her heart for all living things, so
she put her soul into them, and so went all her energy and compassion.
Like her fondness for world travel: whether it was studying Spanish
in Central and South America (in Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Argentina),
or vacationing on various islands of the Caribbean, or simply touring
and sightseeing throughout Europe, she made life an adventure. In
her many travels, Cathy never took for granted that she was an envoy
for freedom and an ambassador for her country—she understood
that to the world you might be one person, but to one person you
might be the world. So she welcomed the opportunities to share her
observations and life experiences with the locals, and in addition
to immersing herself in their cultures she tried to discover as
much as she could about their languages, their politics, their religions
and belief systems, in an attempt to understand the people of the
world a little better—and in the process, maybe learn a little
bit more about herself as well. She would bring back unique gifts
for her friends and family, and wonderful stories of the people
she had met, and the places she had been, and the lessons she had
learned.
Cathy believed that what a person did for himself or herself would
die with them, but what a person could do for others might remain
in this world forever, so she put her soul into people, and so went
all her energy and compassion.
Like all of us here today: Cathy touched and affected our lives
in individual ways—maybe you were there when she was born,
or attended her high school and college graduations, or spent holidays
enjoying her company; maybe you stayed up with her late at night
to discuss the complexities of human relationships; maybe you spent
hours with her swapping emails and instant messages about spirituality
and the hereafter; maybe you talked with her on the phone about
the latest environmental disaster and what had to be done about
it; maybe you took vacations with her and surveyed the globe together;
maybe you saw her during those travels when she stopped by your
house just to see you; or maybe you went to lunch with her as soon
as she returned from a trip full of excitement and wonder; one thing
is for sure, more than a few of you has read a book or two that
she may have recommended, because if Cathy uncovered something new
and enlightening to her, she wanted everyone else to know about
it—she wouldn’t force it upon you so that you’d
necessarily believe what she believed, she just wanted you to have
the information to make of it what you would. She was unselfish
that way; unafraid to distribute the wisdom she felt she was receiving.
To those who knew her Cathy gave herself completely: she was honest
and caring, gentle and kind, generous and forgiving, and she allowed
herself to become vulnerable with us, because it was safe, because
she loved us and was loved by us, so she put her soul into us, and
if we are lucky, so went all her energy and compassion.
I’ll only say a few words on dying because I’m no philosopher
on death, but it is usually in the face of death that we begin to
consider the lives of those we love and examine how we are living
our own lives. It is clear that Cathy believed in life after death,
and that in God’s great Design, there was a special part for
her to play. So she wasn’t afraid to take risks in this life,
if it meant the possibility of living it to the fullest. Of course,
her death will leave in us a void that might never be filled, no
matter how much energy and compassion we try to put into it. For
no amount of time spent together is ever long enough to lose the
ones you love. But we should take comfort in Cathy’s belief
that she has moved on to a higher place for a higher purpose. We
believe that she would ask of us not to dwell upon her death for
too long, because death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing
more than the limit of our mortal sight. Rather, we should spend
our time looking around at the things that we can appreciate and
be thankful for now; and where we think change needs to occur, stand
up and make a difference; and look forward to the day when we will
be reunited with those who are no longer with us.
So I leave you with this: paraphrasing Philippians Chapter 4, Verse
8 in saying that…
Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things
are just or pure or lovely, whatever things are good, if there is
any virtue in this world and if there is anything praiseworthy in
this life, meditate on these things.
That is what Cathy would ask of us.
“Catherine Mary Hill (March 19, 1965—October 25, 2002)”
—Donald J. Rooker, October 27, 2002 |
