In the opening introduction of the book Road to Character, author David Brooks makes an important distinction between two kinds of virtues, résumé and eulogy virtues. Résumé virtues are the list of items typically seen on your own personal résumé, the skills you bring to the job market, the ones that aid career success.

Eulogy virtues go deeper. They are those virtues that get talked about at your funeral. What relationships have you formed, whether you are brave, honest, kind, faithful, or patient. They exist at the core of your being.

Most of us would agree that these eulogy virtues are of greater importance and worth than the résumé virtues. Yet, I know that I focus more time on my résumé virtues and developing those than my eulogy virtues. I also believe our education system and society put a greater emphasis on those résumé virtues.

As my internship has come to a close with National Lutheran Communities and Services, I am grateful that I have become aware of this distinction between virtues. But better yet, I have been blessed to see examples of people who, while possessing these résumé virtues, have instead shown us time and time again that eulogy virtues are those that will have a lasting impact.

In the process of saying my goodbyes to those in the office that have made such an impression on me, I made the comment that I was grateful how everyone had gone above and beyond these past eight weeks to make our internship team feel so welcome. That person’s responded in a matter-of-fact tone, “No I don’t think so.”

As I thought about the exchange, the initial surprise of that comment, and the tone in which it was said, still resonated with me. Throughout our summer in Rockville we were treated to numerous meals, a Nationals baseball game, we were taken sailing on the Potomac River, the CFO took three hours out of his day to speak to us about accounting and finance, we witnessed a board meeting, and more importantly than all of those events, we worked everyday with people that were always ready and willing to humbly share their wisdom. Of course they went above and beyond.

In truth, National Lutheran Communities Services went above and beyond only my expectations. I had in my mind the average experience of an intern and came into the office thinking that was what was in store me. The people in the office had another idea of what it meant to host an intern. They believed it was more like welcoming someone into a family; in fact, our supervisor playfully called us his “kids.”

The eulogy virtue of generosity was apparent in my summer. Generosity is one core virtue of National Lutheran Communities and Services. In the future, as I look back on my experience, that virtue will stick with me. In turn, I hope to welcome people who do not expect it the same way that I was this summer. It is just one way I can try to develop my eulogy virtues.