A two-hour drive separated two hearts destined to meet as one. Kenneth lived in Washington, D.C., and Bettie in Richmond. She relocated to attend a Washington business college in January 1962.

Weeks before, Kenneth, a young entrepreneur-in-the-making, delivered beds to her off-campus student facility. Kenneth told Ms. Brown, the resident mother, “I am going to marry one of the 13 girls housed here!”

Words matter and have power.

Kenneth and Bettie finally met at his church during a rainy Wednesday evening service. She was visiting under watch care ministry and needed a ride home. He offered and soon realized she was one of the 13 — that girl!

In love with each other’s company, the two began dating during the spring and summer of 1962. Caught in a romantic whirlwind, he proposed. She said yes!

A September engagement with wedding bells ringing in November 1962 was imminent. But was this too fast to go far or even last? Only time would tell in a conversation that sounds like this:

Two Hearts joined together 55 years ago as one. How in the world was this ever done? Surely not in our very own strength. Seasons and times were of considerable length. Days unto weeks unto years gone by. Made this union between you and I.

In cloudy, rainy and stormy weather. It is God Almighty who keeps us together.

A lasting relation to have and to hold. Within a sweet embrace, arms opened to unfold. The mystery that lingers deep in our loving heart. A lifetime together ’til death we do part!

Look what the Lord has done!

Kenneth Prince is a retired contractor and business owner.

Bettie Prince is a retired administrator and business owner.

It was love at first sight!

When I first stepped onto the University of Mississippi’s campus, I had every intention of “only” preparing for a career after college. But one day as I was walking across campus going to class, I noticed this handsome guy walking toward me. As we passed each other, he gazed over at me and I was in love. From that moment, I knew he was special and I had to know him.

I later found out his name, Tracy Causey, and that he was a junior.

Immediately I thought, being a freshman, this wouldn’t happen. But as time went on, a friend told me about a pageant she wanted to participate in called the Black and Gold Pageant of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Tracy was a member of this fraternity and, as I soon found out, in charge of the pageant.

By the way, Tracy was also president of the Black Student Union and involved with lots of campus activities.

Well, helping my friend prepare for the pageant gave me a chance to really get to know Tracy. And while that was great, the night of the pageant was magical. Tracy was dressed in his Air Force ROTC uniform and I just melted.

After the pageant, he asked me out and we had an unforgettable evening.

Tracy graduated the next year and was commissioned into the Air Force. He was assigned to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. We began a very long distance relationship, and it was truly love because it was really long distance. Tracy and I talked nearly every night and usually ended our last conversation around midnight.

One day, Tracy appeared at my house in Oxford, Miss., talking to me on his cell phone as if he was still in Abilene. He told me that, after we had hung up the previous night, he got into his car and drove 15 hours to Mississippi just to see me. He wanted to take me to dinner and, yes, after dinner he proposed. Of course, I said yes! But I had to complete college first and then we were married.

We shared our educational pursuits through my attending Thurgood Marshall College of Law and his master’s degree pursuit at Meharry Medical College.

Tracy admits that he is so proud to be my husband, and I am proud to be his wife.

Tracy also admits that I wasn’t the only one love struck that fateful day on the stroll to class. He says he gazed, but wanted to stop and stare. He says he knew I would be his girlfriend that day and told all his fraternity brothers. He actually told them he found the person he would marry.

Twenty years later, our love affair continues and is only getting better. We’ve been blessed to have three beautiful children, Caleb, 15, Jillian, 11, and Joshua, 9.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Doris Causey is the managing attorney at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society and the first African-American president of the Virginia State Bar.

Tracy Causey is chief executive officer of C.A.H.N., the Capital Area Health Network.

In August, Keith and I will be celebrating 25 years of marriage. Finding love was a journey that started in 1992, when a mutual friend, who also was a colleague of Keith, introduced us.

While serving as a firefighter for the City of Richmond at the time, Keith Glenn came across an article in one of our local newspapers that reported on the great community work being done by a senior planner in the Richmond Department of Planning and Community Development. Her name was Selena Cuffee.

He must have been really impressed with me because he told his colleague about the article. His colleague immediately said, “Keith, I know her.”

After months of trying to get our schedules to sync, we finally went on our first date. But the first date was really a “blind date” for me! Keith knew more about me than I knew about him. He even knew what I looked like from the article. I had no idea who this guy was or anything about his appearance. You have to remember that these were the days long before social media.

Well, needless to say, I was pleased when we met that first time at a pizza restaurant. It was a quiet and fun evening as the “city guy from Richmond” got to know “the country girl from Chesapeake.” We shared stories about our hobbies, our families and our work for the City of Richmond.

That first date would lead to many special picnics, skate nights, church activities, family and holiday events — and, ultimately, marriage in 1993.

We never imagined that almost 25 years later, we would be celebrating a journey of family and love that also has given us a smart and beautiful daughter who will be graduating from college in May.

Here’s to hopefully 25 more years and then some on this journey together!

Selena Cuffee-Glenn is chief administrative officer for the City of Richmond.

Keith Glenn is a retired Richmond firefighter who currently is a deputy sheriff with the Richmond Sheriff’s Office.