While I have felt lonely many times in my life the oddest feeling of all was after my mother Lucille died. My father had already died but I always had some attachment to our big family while she was alive. It seems strange to say now that I felt so lonely yet I did.

My family although they're very large on both my parents' sides they don't know much about their family tree. Occasionally they try to dig but they can't get very far and it's baffling. In Dublin it seems that so many public records were wiped out it's proven to be very difficult so I know very little.

It seems to me that unless you or someone very close to you has had a bad head injury you really can't fathom it. You have no concept of what it is all about. It was so difficult for my whole family not just me.

Life goes by really fast and it seems that there are times when you're burying a lot of friends and family. And then there are times that feel really precious and everybody is doing okay. This is one of those times.

There are many countries where you can only believe more or you can believe less. But in the United States we have this incredible smorgasbord and it really interests me why people are drawn to one faith rather than another especially to a system of belief that to an outsider seems absurd or dangerous.

Often we are quick to find blame with others but yet are unable to give constructive responses. There seems to be a tendency to doubt almost everything. Do we not have faith in our own people's strengths and in our institutions? Can we afford distrust amongst ourselves?

I stepped out on faith to follow my lifelong dream of being an author. I made real sacrifices and took big risks. But living it seems to me is largely about risk.

The conversion of agnostic High Tories to the Anglican church is always rather suspect. It seems too pat and predictable too clearly a matter of politics rather than faith.

The media seems to think only abortion and gay marriage are religious issues. Poverty is a moral issue it's a faith issue it's a religious issue.

What is faith? If you believe something because you have evidence for it or rational argument that is not faith. So faith seems to be believing something despite the absence of evidence or rational argument for it.