Layers of a Life

Cornerstones

The older man summoned his son to inspect the ground where the newlywed's house would be built. A fine plot of land set at the edge of the valley. His new daughter-in-law would be able to sit at a specially designed window seat facing south and observe a rainbow of colors as the seasons progress: white in the winter, greens of all shades in the spring, deeper greens and golden browns in the summer signaling harvest, and a rainbow in the fall as nature shed her leaves.

"I want to show you something that I learned too late in life," the father said as he pointed to four stones he had placed, one in each corner of the foundation. As they walked around together, the son noticed that each stone contained a carefully carved and painted word. Beginning in the northwest corner, the young groom saw the word "LOVE" in red letters.

His father spoke, "Love is an important foundation for you two to build your life upon, and since the normal color associated with love and passion is red, well, I had it painted specially for you."

The young man was very curious, as he had never heard his father speak this way or even of such things. While he pondered this, they began walking clockwise toward the northeast corner. As they got closer, he could begin to make out the word "RESPECT", this time in green letters.

Once again, his father spoke, "Respect is critical to maintain growth in your relationship. I always remember that I respect nature and that green things show live growth, so I had it painted green."

Truly curious and wondering what would come next, the young man started walking toward the southeast corner before his father moved from his spot. He sensed a feeling akin to Christmas morning taking over and filling him with a sense of excitement. As the stone came into focus, the word "HONOR" shone in bright blue letters.

As he had the previous two times, his father spoke, "Honor is the third important ingredient in your relationship. Remember her worth in your life and always put her needs before your own."

Not waiting for his father to finish speaking, the son turned and practically ran to discover the fourth stone. The deep-blue lettering made reading the word difficult until he was right on top of the stone: "TRUST".

For the last time in this tour, the father cleared his throat and spoke, "Trust is the last stone in the quartet, and maybe the most fragile of the four. Always remember to trust each other with your everything and protect that bond at all costs. Trust once broken is never repaired."

As the son turned around, he noticed something peculiar. Each of the stones in the far corner of the house looked smaller than the one where he stood, even though he knew they were the same size. Guessing his son's thoughts, the father once again chimed in, "The stones are all the same size, but when you are at a corner the one you are at feels bigger. Remember that if you need to remember to work on one of these more than the other someday."

The sound of footsteps coming down the road alerted the two men that their brides had arrived with lunch, so they broke off their conversation and headed to meet them.

If you dared to glance at the plans for the young couple's house, you would notice that the foundation was laid out in a perfect square, each side 40 feet long. The stone for LOVE was carefully placed in the corner of the house where the master bedroom was planned. The stone for RESPECT was placed in the corner of the house where the living room was planned. The stone for HONOR was placed in the corner of the house where the kitchen was planned. The stone for TRUST was placed in the exact spot where the front door of the house would be installed.

Critical to any relationship, only let those you trust into your home, honor each other in the kitchen, respect each other in the living room, and love each other in the bedroom.