Throughout my teen years, I worked with my father in the family's under-ground construction business. My dad's closest friends, builders respected for their work, were very careful in preparing the ground and laying the foundation. Granted, the cost to build a strong foundation was expensive, but a weak foundation could cost more. Without proper support, a structure may not be sound and could present future problems. Developers hired architects and engineers; appointed a contractor, paid fees to the county or to the city, as well as to other departments, developed a set of plans and used heavy equipment to move tons of dirt, all to prepare the foundation. In the same way, our character provides the foundation on which we build our lives and our relationships.

Many singles, as well as those married, spend years rebuilding relationships simply because the foundation was weak. Make no mistake about it, a strong foundation will cost you something, but a weak foundation will cost you more. Companies who neglect the foundation can, in the end, spend millions of extra dollars reinforcing, restoring and rebuilding. In the same way, we may spend years rebuilding and restoring our lives if we neglect our foundation. Clearly, the foundation we build today provides the strength that weathers the storm tomorrow.