So we've got this retivut problem (retivut is Hebrew for moisture. Ours is worse than moisture in the walls). Some background - we have an above ground porch which the builder supposedly sealed and made into a "garden" of sorts. We laid grass and some plants. We had some problems with water leaking through to the parking lot below since day 1. It had been fixed a number of times. Recently it became worse than a leak and whenever it rains (and we usually pray that it should rain alot) it pours into the rooms behind the lot beneath our "garden".
Back to the point. So we call in this guy who is supposed to be the authority oin retivut and sealant. He came very highly recommended. Unfortunately he is workign on a big project right now, so he can only deal with us during his "in between" time. He mentioned the job would get done quicker (and a bit cheaper) if I would do the digging rather than waiting for his team to dig up the garden. So I have spent the last 2 - 3 days/nights digging up a certain part of my garden. (He is coming tomorrow to look at the results).

We had a Ficus plant/tree in the corner of the garden, right above where the main part of the leak was. We suspected that its roots had possibly destroyed the sealant beneath the topsoil. I had to move it to start digging. So I had to break some of the roots that had broken through the bottom of the large flower pot it is in and I move it out. The I begin digging. I found a tremendous amount of roots going in every possible direction and at great distances from where the plant had been sitting. I am digging and digging and digging and I keep finding more root (yes, I found places where the root had gone into the sealant).

As I am digging this up, I find myself totally amazed at the root structure. I have come to respect it. I began to think about it and realized that just like the plant - the roots are the most important part of our growth. If we lay good, strong roots, it will be difficult to come later and uproot. Even if we have problems later and get distracted from our goal and purpose, the strong root structure we laid earlier will overcome our distraction and allow us to be led back to our path.
Lay those roots now. Create a strong foundation for yourself and your children. Those roots will be the source of their/your emotional strength later in life.