My sisters,

When the not-so-novel idea came to me to do a Valentine’s issue about love, I was excited! My excitement continued to grow as I realized that, in spite of what the media shows us, I’ve known so many couples who have stayed together for a lifetime – like Mr. and Mrs. Mack and Rose Crawford who were married for 69 years — and former Mayor Elzie and Mrs. Ruby Odom, who have been married for 76 years!

What excited me even more is that I was able to talk to some of these couples about where they started – allowing me to feel all the energy surrounding their first meeting, their journey from strangers to friends to spouses, their pride for the families they have created, and how, after all these years, they would choose each other again and again.

Since I’m “amongst friends,” I can also admit that there was a moment after we started prepping this issue when the “gremlins” stepped in and almost made me secondguess my place in this conversation. After all, I’m a divorcée who, by society’s standards, has never quite gotten it “right.” I swear I could hear Halle Berry’s character in Boomerang (the 90’s movie) poking me in the head and asking, “But what do you know about love?”

I also wondered how our many, many single, divorced, and widowed YANAsisters would feel about this issue. After all, it wouldn’t be great for an organization called “you are not alone” to make our members feel even more alone...

By then, we were halfway through the interviews so there was no going back – only the option to keep pressing forward to see where this journey took us. And now, having completed this very special THIS WILL BE (AN EVERLASTING LOVE) issue, I’m so incredibly glad we did.

Interviewing these six extraordinary couples and receiving photos of so many more who have been married for 20+ years profoundly affected me in ways that I struggle to explain.

The first word that comes to mind is gratitude. Soon after I’d written the last article, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the love I’ve experienced. Why? Because somewhere along the way I realized that no matter how the world sees me, I have been lucky in love... From the love that created me (as shown by my incredible parents on the cover), to those I’ve had the privilege of loving and being loved by (sometimes even at the same time! lol), to the love I’ve had the opportunity to witness (starting with my first wedding at age 3!) — I am so very thankful. And, I hope after reading these amazing love stories, ALL of my YANAsisters – single, dating, married, widowed, or “other,” will feel the same.

What have I learned?

First, I’ve learned that love is indeed a miracle. An unexpected call, a mistaken introduction, two people who “happen” to be in the same place at the same time... As you’ll see from the stories that follow, none of our interviewees were looking for love where they found it, sometimes in the most unusual ways. These stories reaffirmed my faith in the Divine and my belief that miracles happen every day.

Second, I’ve learned that love is, in many ways, a choice. A choice to allow yourself to be fully seen and a choice to believe that somehow, in some way, you’ll be better for it.

Finally, I’ve learned that love is a verb. The love stories - and even more, the Q&A session - confirmed that after the miraculous meeting, love does not just happen. It takes effort to cultivate and mature. And most importantly, if both people are intentional about giving as much or more than they seek, then in the words of Al Green, the end result is “simply beautiful.”

The news often shows us all that is wrong in the world, so I hope you’ll find as much joy as I did in focusing on one thing that is right. And for the ladies that desire, but don’t currently have, a mate; I hope this issue helps you believe in the infinite possibilities. I’ll say it again, miracles happen each and every day.

A thousand thank yous to the couples who shared a piece of their stories in this issue! Imani

Love and light,

P.S. To all the single ladies ready to open yourself to love, make sure you check out page 35. I’ve included a special invitation just for you!

My first wedding in 1974