Family and friends and faith are the most important things in your life and you should be building friendships.

President Shimon Peres has embodied a commitment to the mutual values shared by the United States and Israel - values that include the preservation of life, faith, family and freedom.

As a small business owner for the last 15 years, when I think of what truly changed my life, it was my faith, a strong family, my mom did a really, really good job of encouraging me in very clear and discernible ways.

I think the beauty of Catholicism is its consistency through both successes and difficulties. I've counted on my faith to give me strength through both training and competition - but also in school, with my family and everyday life.

We have a very disabled person in our family who is cared for by someone who lives a life most other people would find impossible, and her faith is making it a joy for her. And you can't argue with that. I mean, you can, but it's fruitless.

I'll tell you, in my life I've never once have seen a Hispanic panhandler, because in our community, it would be viewed as shameful to be out on the street begging. Those are all conservative values - faith, family, hard work, responsibility.

I don't think you can say that one aspect of my life built my perspective. It is a combination of my faith, my family, the people I've met at Connecticut and understanding that basketball is a platform for something bigger than the game, helping people, touching people's lives.

You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined.

My family, frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. My mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew but she didn't raise me in the church, so I came to my Christian faith later in life and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead.

Football is important, but my family and faith are also important, and no matter how good a football player I am, I knew I still needed to be a good member of the church. Having that spiritual connection helped me throughout the season. It brought balance. I felt better about myself and saw improvements in all aspects of my life.

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