"Life is not always a long quiet river" is the opening sentence of my mother's last letter to my brother and me. This phrase from one of my family's favorite French movies La Vie Est Un Long Fleuve Tranquille (Life Is A Long Quiet River) has stayed with me since my mother's passing three years ago. I was born in Paris, and my childhood was idyllic. I traveled to see the landscapes Matisse and Van Gogh painted in the South...