How to Use Love Letters to Deepen Your Connection During Quarantine
As a part of our healing journey, we committed to 30 days of love letters. He wrote me a letter a day, and I responded.
Rediscovering Our Love Language: How We Leveled Up Our Relationship With Weekly Check-Ins
How do you keep that spark alive once the newness and excitement of a relationship wears off? This writer explores the importance of creating weekly check-ins with your partner to overcome communication challenges and build a strong and healthy foundation.
‘Black Love’ Bonus Clip: Justin and Joy on the Breakup That Brought Them Back Together Stronger
Joy always knew she was supposed to marry Justin. They met in college and had been dating for over three years before she realized they needed to break up. See, she didn't want to break up with him — he was the love of her life — but she understood that Justin had a lot more maturing to do before he could commit to the type of relationship she required.
How I Met My Husband Online
From sliding into DMs to walking down the aisle, why this wife is encouraging more women to be open to meeting men online.
Self-Care Rituals of Boss Mom Leslie Lewis
In order to remain balanced, mompreneur Leslie Lewis takes her self-care seriously. Now, she’s sharing her journey and five tips and tricks for boss moms everywhere on how to balance life and get some “me time.”
Our Story: Faune & Derek
Faune: I said I do because Derek had all of the characteristics I wanted in a life partner and when I prayed for myself I found myself praying for him as well. He was always there for every pivotal transitional moment in my life since I was 16 years old. I felt God's joy when I was around him, I could never stay mad at him. I knew I loved him and he made it clear that he loved me. I wanted children that would have him as their father. I really loved his family and being around them. He wanted to grow as a man and we kept growing together. We got better as individuals together. We shared the same vision for life, passion, goals, interests, and faith in God. Life felt more full when I was with him. Derek: When I imagined my life I couldn't imagine it without her. The key to 'I do' is to have the revelation that it's not just at the altar. 'I do' is a decision everyday of your life. Many believe Love is a feeling. And it is...but that alone won't be the foundation for a successful relationship. Love is a decision. And to decide is to kill off all other options. When you say I do what you're really saying is you trust what God has purposed in your life. Faune always pushed me to be great, she has always been my favorite person to create with, she's the funniest person I know, I love her and her family, she is my rib that protects vital organs, and I knew she would be the best mother to our children. I prayed that God would bring us together and allow me the privilege of being her husband.
Our Story: Crista & Algenon
Marriage is a commitment contract that must continuously be renewed and reaffirmed. You must continue to support the foundation on which you started and build from there. Algenon and I had our first child in 2004 and we got married in 2005, when he was 23 and I was 19. We were naive about everything BUT we made the choice and took a leap of faith. No matter the trials and tribulations we have experienced, there is a force of nature that continues to pull us together and strengthens our unbreakable bond. We grew up together and had to navigate the real world in our most formative years. As hard as it was, there is no one I would rather walk this journey with. We have accepted each other as we have changed along the way and it’s the love and support we have for each other that allows us to continue to grow! Even bad days are better with your friend and lover. I said I do in the beginning because I was a young girl in love! But I continue to make that commitment because what we have built is truly a blessing. My love for my husband is immeasurable and every day I am grateful for our journey together. Reflections by Crista
Our Story: Sharelle & Kevin
We really had no idea what to expect when we first got married because everyone’s journey is unique. But, we weren’t expecting God to shake up our lives a few months after “I do.” The news that my husband lost his job was hard. But, a couple months later learning we were pregnant left us torn between excited and scared. Months passed as my belly grew and so did the financial challenges. We watched our financial reserve deplete and eventually run dry. Bills piled up and eviction threats were close to becoming a reality. We never gave up but some days we were so weary and could barely muster the strength to communicate. Other days we lashed out in frustration without considering love and respect.⠀ We were working tirelessly to keep our union from crumbling under the intense pressure. We had no other choice but to lean on God. We prayed together daily, stayed close to our loving community and did our best to move forward. In return, God never failed us. Every month, just enough resources would somehow show up to keep the lights on, food on the table or gas in the car. Then about a month before the baby was due my husband landed a job that was more than we could have expected or asked. ⠀ Looking back, I can now see that God was shaking us up to move us along. The restoration and blessings that have come out of those dark times have intimately bonded us unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in our relationship. God was testing us so that we would be prepared to receive the blessings that were on the other side! Reflections by Sharrelle Guyton
Our Story: Brandy & Maurice
Our journey together started back in 2006. Back then, he was a collegiate athlete on the road to becoming a professional football player. Soon after dating we had our first daughter, and God didn’t see fit for him to go pro. We went through the motions together as he went through random jobs and growth changes as I did too. Life wasn’t easy as we parented young and never really discovered who we were as a couple. But our love for our daughter was unwavering and we pushed through with a common goal of making our family stable. We continued to push one another to returning back to school, dated over and over again, invested in learning how to love one another in the way we needed to be loved and continued to stay committed. Now we stand with a testimony and accomplishment of being an attorney and therapist who are deeply in love and are each other’s biggest fans. It's important for me to always remember where we started. Before the kids, before our careers, before the houses and joint bank accounts. But to remember the love that originated from doing better than what we had endured. Yes, our love started unstable, but it was that feeling of strife that made us persevere. Today, we continue to work to push past our fears with our common goal always staying aligned. We have now built a foundation that was purposely planted piece by piece with bricks. Five 1/2 years into this marriage, three daughters later and I wouldn't change a thing. My husband has loved me through and through. There were times I didn't believe and he carried us through. There were times I said forget it and he carried us through. Even at our lowest he carried us through. We kept our heads high, love on our side, and prayed up. We could have gave up when the fire was thick, but we knew once the fog cleared, favor would be on our side. Thank you Maurice for always carrying me, lifting me up, and loving me. I'll see to it that we will always get through. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her. Reflections by Brandy Wells
