How a Summer Fling in High School Turned Into Years of Marriage
How my husband and I found our way back to each other years after a summer romance in high school.
Our Story: Felicia & Karega
Uniquely enough, though our love was cultivated within HBCU culture, our love story did not start at Hampton University.
Our Story: Keith & Jenni
Our love story is no fairytale. However, it did begin one dark, gloomy night in 2006.
All Couples to the Front — We Want Your “Transparent Tuesday” Stories!
Courtesy of @photosbyreem/Instagram Can we be honest? Relationships take work. It requires compromise and sacrifice and we know firsthand experiences help people understand that more than anything. Transparent Tuesdays is a day to relay some personal hurdles that we’ve had to overcome in our relationships. To embrace your emotions and share something you've learned about yourself since committing to your partner and/or marriage. Are you ready to get transparent about your relationship? If so email our Editor Yasmine Jameelah at yasmine@blacklove.com. Related Articles: #WhyISaidIDo – From Sneaky Links to Blended Interfaith Family: Salah & Jasmine Our Story: Clyde & Jasmin Our Story: Matthew & Marnel
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
Our Story: Sopha & Anthony
LETS BE REAL RIGHT QUICK. Relationships are never easy. They are processes that must be worked at every single day. It's just like banking. You must invest to see a profit. It took me a long time to understand that. Let me tell you.
Anthony and Sopha Rush
Marriage is just the same. My wife and I have times where we can argue for a majority of the day, but we never walk out on one another. We may get on each others nerves from time to time, but we never walk out on one another. I may say hurtful things from time to time. She may do things that I don’t understand. But we don't walk out on one another.
The beautiful thing about marriage is the fact that it is two imperfect people coming together to live life as God intended them to.
Full of love, sacrifice, selflessness, and community. Do we do that all the time? HECK NO, but everyday God blesses us with another chance to strive towards it, and that's what we’ll do.
Whatever you love, put your all into it and you will see the benefits flow.
To my lovely wife @livedeeplyrooted I thank you for being a woman of love and selflessness where ever you go. You already know what it is, I’ll bust heads for you. In the name of Jesus of course lol 
Reflections by @rushanthony
