BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
ROSALIND & DEWAYNE MORRIS
Live: Helena
Married: Nov. 2, 1991
Met: DeWayne and Rosalind grew up in the same church, Greater Bethlehem Temple Apostolic Church, in Jackson, Mississippi, and have known each other since childhood.
“Everybody knew everybody like on ‘Cheers’, [a television sitcom that was set in a Boston bar and ran for 11 seasons on NBC] but it was such a large church that we had different sets of friends,” said DeWayne. “We had like 2,000 members…,” Rosalind recalled. “I’m sure we spoke from time to time because our families were friends, but we didn’t [form a friendship] until later.”
In the fall of 1987, Rosalind gave DeWayne a ride home from choir rehearsal, “and that’s when the lightbulb went off,” said DeWayne. “It was like I got shot in the heart with an arrow. She was so beautiful, and the things that she talked about were different and I started [crushing on] her.”
“We started out as friends and built a friendship first, and then it evolved,” said Rosalind.
First date: Fall of 1987, at Ruby Tuesday’s in Jackson, Mississippi. The pair didn’t recall much about that first date, other than having a great conversation. However, DeWayne did say, “I thought to myself ‘I better lock her down before somebody else gets her,’” he laughed.
“It was a good date. I thought he was a handsome gentleman,” Rosalind said.
The turn: January 1988. Rosalind played hard to get, saying she was taking her time. “He had asked me to be his girlfriend a couple of times, and I finally said ‘yes’ after the new year in 1988.”
“I was like ‘this girl is great.’ I love everything about her and I started falling in love,” DeWayne said. “And if I dated anybody it was for marriage, I wasn’t going to date just to date so even without the title, we were exclusive. We didn’t jump around from person to person, I was trying to know if she was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and she was.”
The proposal: In March 1991, in Clinton, Mississippi. Since Rosalind and DeWayne dated with intention, marriage was on the table from the onset. “We went to our pastor and told him we wanted to marry, and he started counseling us,” said Rosalind. “And then after we got his blessing, DeWayne went to my parents and asked for my hand in marriage.”
“And they were overjoyed,” DeWayne said. “And then we got excited and started planning the wedding, it felt like Christmas was coming. Before then, life was like a blank canvas, and now I could start painting the picture of what my life would look like. Some people wait a lifetime to find the ‘one’, and I had found her in my 20s, I was excited.”
The wedding: At Greater Bethlehem Temple Apostolic Church, in Jackson, Mississippi, officiated by their pastor, who was also Rosalind’s uncle, the late Bishop Phillip Coleman Sr. Their colors were deep purple and teal.
Most memorable for the bride was being serenaded by her groom. “During the nuptials DeWayne sang, ‘When You Cry,’ by the Winans. It was a very beautiful song and he was crying while he sang to me, and it was hard for me to keep my composure and not cry too. But I had to because I didn’t want to mess up my makeup,” Rosalind laughed.
Most memorable for the groom: “The day I woke up for the wedding, I thought ‘is this real?’ because I thought Jesus would come back before I got married,” DeWayne laughed.
The couple honeymooned in Dallas, Texas. “It was a beautiful moment. It was our first time spending a night together, it was both of our first time spending the night with [the opposite sex], it was very surreal,” Rosalind said.
“Once again, we made it to the other side, the rapture didn’t take place,” DeWayne laughed. “We were together and there was no condemnation, I knew we had done it the way God wanted us to do it. We both waited until we got married, and made our vows together under God, and before the people, and the honeymoon brought it all full circle. I knew God was pleased.”
Words of wisdom: “When you’re a couple, you’re a team, but you’re also two individuals so having synergy and knowing your roles in the marriage is key,” Rosalind said. “My husband and I consult with one another on different things, we bounce ideas, and in having respect for one another we [inquire] on one another’s perspective. You have to remain friends. Being able to be open and honest is important. [Also] our relationship is built off friendship. Things are going to come up in life, and having that friendship, a relationship with God, and a prayer life is what’s going to keep you tied together.”
“Putting your relationship with God first is going to reflect in your marriage,” DeWayne said, “and establishing defined roles in the marriage and operating in those roles is key. If the husband is the leader, let him lead. If the wife is responsible for teaching the children, support her in that. You should have the same goals and [outlook] in life to have a balanced marriage. And don’t be influenced by external agents.”
Happily ever after: The Morris’ relocated to Birmingham in July 2009 to start their ministry, Greater Works Church in Birmingham. They have three adult children: Carmen, 31, Mariah, 29, and Gabrielle, 28.
Rosalind, 57, is a Clinton, Mississippi, native, and attended Hinds Community College in Mississippi, where she earned an associate’s degree in psychology. She is an entrepreneur, and Mary Kay Beauty Consultant.
DeWayne, 58, is a Jackson, Mississippi, native, and attended The University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied marketing. He worked as an independent contract IT Engineer for 20 years and is now an entrepreneur with an online company nameThe Urban Soul Kitchen, where he sells a spice/seasoning line.
www.urbansoulkitchen.com
“You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.
