My son is a big hiker. Last fall he trekked down the coast of Portugal, averaging thirty or so miles a day. Long, silent hours spent all alone on a windy expanse of rocky coastline. I asked him what he thought about during all of the silence - how did he fill it? Did he…

They are the perfect family members. They never fail to show up, greeting us at the door, no matter what kind of day they've had. They accept what we have to offer and rarely complain, even if they disagree. They sense when our emotions are out of whack and never fail to come to our…