Starting a family will require the help of those who have been there before, because making a family is hard, joyful, tricky, sorrowful, frustrating, infuriating, empowering, and ultimately, probably the most important thing any of us will ever do. Governments rise and fall, businesses build and collapse, individual fortunes wax and wane, but as Lee Iacocca tells us, “The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family.”

So, in this month in which we give thanks, let us give thanks for the family- however annoying we occasionally find it - with this guided tour.

On the first Saturday of each month, the Norton offers a special tour at 2 p.m. All tours meet in the lobby. No reservation is required, though groups of 10 or more are asked to call ahead. This tour, like all tours and admission to the Norton, is free of charge.