Keri and Kernon
by Keri 

I once read a poem saying that "Everything I need to know, I learned in Kindergarten." It's true. I learned everything in kindergarten. In fact, it's where I fell in love with my husband. There was a wooden playhouse that we'd always play in with our classmates. However, rule #1 was that Kernon (my husband) and I must be husband and wife. If someone wanted to claim him as their husband or me as their wife, there would definitely be an altercation. I even begged my mom to come to the school to meet this cute boy named Kernon.  

As the years past on, we attended the same elementary school until he moved. However, he moved back and we ended up at the same middle school. I definitely had a crush on him and remembered him from kindergarten. We use to stare at each other and smile. We didn't say much except hello. Then we ended up at the same high school. Nothing changed- we'd stare at each other and say hello. We were both obviously very shy. During our senior year, he got a little bold and asked me for a hug and I anxiously accepted. Since that day, we'd greet with hugs. But we never dated. At the end of the year, the girls did their "guy survery," asking questions such as: who was cutest? Then my best friend asked me, "Keri, who do you think would make the best husband at our school?" Without hesitation, I said, "Kernon."

 I went on to college and stayed in contact with my best friend who remained at home. I would always ask about Kernon and she would tell me that he was always asking about me. One day during my college's (FAMU) homecoming, I bumped into Kernon. We exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up that night. However, I had a boyfriend during the time who found the number and destroyed it. It wasn't until a couple of years later that my best friend told me again, that Kernon asked about me. This time, I told her to give him my phone number - she did. He called we talked for hours. We went on a date a couple of weeks later. He was in Pensacola and I was in Tallahassee. All went well on the first date. We poured out our hearts and told how we'd always cared about each other. We both asked, "Well, why didn't you say anything?" and laughed. I had graduated and already had plans to move back home. We dated for 2 months before getting engaged. I wrote an actual fairytale that was read a! t our ceremony here it is:

 Once upon a time before they were born, a boy and girl so madly in love created a plan so they would recognize each other on earth. This was the plan:

 They would share the same lucky number, seven, for it would connect them in many ways. They would be born for one another, sharing birth dates in the same month (September) and year (1978) which when combined equals seven. However, He would set out on his journey first on September 2, to ensure the world would be safe for his future wife. She would soon follow on (September 12).

 Their names (Kernon and Keri) would begin with the root word "Ker" which means "to grow" for they were destined to grow together. She alone would bare the name which comes from the name of two ancient rivers (a symbol of him and her) and it would mean "to love."

 They met for the first time on earth in kindergarten class and instantly bonded. They enjoyed playing in the sandbox and the class' playhouse, where they acted the roles of husband and wife, unaware these would be their future titles. The next eighteen years through elementary, middle and high school were spent secretly admiring each other, staring at each other, uttering awkward hellos and giving friendly hugs.

 One day at an event swarming with thousands of people, they ran into each other and the flame rekindled. They were engaged on Valentine's Day 2004, had a beautiful baby girl, Paris ten months later and planned to unite in holy matrimony the following year. Here they are today, in the spirit of the magic that bought them together, uniting for the beginning of their happily ever after.

The Beginning

 We've been going strong for over 4 years now and still everyday is as exciting as the first date. We still flirt and we still go out on romantic dates.

 Sincerely
Keri
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I Don’t Love You Any More
by Thurman C. Petty, Jr.

Early in my ministry I became so eager to succeed in as a pastor that I worked for the church from 14 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week. I seldom ate with my family or spent any time with them except at church functions. I saw our daughter Lydia in the morning when I sent her off to school. I pecked my wife Martha on the cheek as I left for some church responsibility. And I often came home late at night after the rest of the family had gone to bed.

Then one horrible day I realized that Martha hadn't told me she loved me for a long time. I asked her why. She told me, quite frankly, 'Because I don't.' That came as a shock to me, because I thought we had a good marriage based on love. So why didn't she love me anymore?

During the next few days I began to realize that I had been the guilty culprit. I had driven away Martha's love by my lack of attention, my ceaseless work, and my selfish grasp for the goodwill of the church. I'd spent so much time with my work that I didn't even know her anymore and it was just as obvious that she no longer knew me. What should I do? I still loved Martha. I didn't want to lose her!

About that time I received a call to pastor a two- church district in another state. The ministerial secretary (pastor’s director) had been a close friend of the family whom I had known for many years. One day I told him: 'I've got a problem with my marriage. Martha says she doesn't love me any more. I think I need some time to work this out.'

'That's all right with me,' he said. 'Whatever time it takes, you should spend it.'

And so I began to spend about half of my time with Martha―doing things with her we'd always enjoyed. We worked together, shopped together, played games together, assembled picture puzzles together, went out to eat together. All during this time I didn't know if I was reaching her heart, if she was growing to love me again.

And then one glorious day Martha came to me and said, 'I love you'―for the first time in over two years. I'll never forget the relief that flooded my heart and my thankfulness to God for bringing us together in love once more.

I decided right then that, God help me, Id never again allow our love to become estranged. And so today I spend a lot of time with Martha, time well spent on nurturing our family life. I know what it's like to lose the love of someone I treasure very dearly, and I don't want that to ever happen again.

That was over 40 years ago, and we’ve had some rough times since then. But we’ve pulled together and kept it going. Today we’re retired in Montana, thoroughly enjoying our time together. We’ll have our 50^th anniversary in August of 2010. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Great positive stories of other couples successes will enhance your ability to create happily ever after in your own. Your ability to create and maintain healthy relationships is enhanced when you take care of yourself, whether it be with exercise, good nutrition, or education. Marital therapy to save marriage, healing infidelity, or facilitate relationship solutions, may include taking care of your own physical and mental health. This marriage counseling site supports healthy living and with that in mind offers help with meditation life choices, thinking patterns, good nutrition as relationship therapy and healthy anger management.