A poem about foundations:
I built a house and a home
both with sturdy foundations.
One of trust, the other of stone
and filled them with carnations.
Mortar and rock cracked with age,
and lies ate holes in the trust.
Without support the house soon sagged
and filled with jealous lust.
As house and home fell at my feet
a twisted screeching rubble,
the years ahead appear most bleak
my life, a bursting bubble.
A house rebuilt is good as new,
not so a broken home.
With hammer and saw and pots of glue,
and new support of stone.
The house will stand for years to come
but trust does not restore
with wood or stone or luck so dumb
my trust forever more
stays in myself and not in love
and closes every door.
copyright(C)1986 Paul Stephens
(published as an open source document)
There is a happy ending to this story but it took a decade to be realized.
Trust is the only foundation for love or even friendship. It must be constantly maintained. That requires honesty.
Love is a verb, it is something we do, not something that exists on its own.
Love as a noun is just a short term feeling that disappears without the act.
So love your partner - actively work at letting them know that they are loved and appreciated.