My husband was on a year-long deployment overseas, and for each week that he was gone, we filled his empty seat at the dinner table with a new stranger. We hosted authors, musicians, school teachers, athletes, artists and even a zookeeper. We also hosted community and government leaders- - from both sides of the aisle.
Read moreWhat My Children Taught Me About Politics
Photo by Andrea Hand Photography. Smiley's son on the shoulders of Maine Representative Mike Michaud.