On Valentine's Day 1998, he popped the question. In little under six months, they were married. Ten years later, and counting, the two are still going strong.

Ewart and Brenda McDonald's marriage, on the surface, may seem to have happened quickly but it was years of establishing a strong foundation that got them to that point.

"The whole business of friendship is of paramount importance. You cannot overstate it because it's not always going to be love and stars. When times of challenge come, you are going to really need a friend in whom you can find commitment," said Ewart, a minister of religion and guidance counsellor.

It was certainly friendship that started their relationship. As members of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a tertiary-level religious club, the two met at one of the club's 7 a.m. activities, which involved their separate teachers' colleges.

Finding a partner

"We had a session where you should find a partner, hold hands and pray. Interestingly, I really didn't want to go because it was so early but because I was coordinator I went," Ewart said. But when it was time to find a partner, there was none, so someone pointed out that Brenda was inside.

"I said 'wow, this must be an angel'," he said when she appeared. "I got the chance to hold the hand of an angel. That's the first time I saw her. I think from the first time I laid eyes upon her, I was interested," he added.

For Brenda, now a primary-school teacher, it wasn't that instantaneous.

"Maybe I wasn't thinking as deep as he was thinking," Brenda said with a smile. However, she admitted that it was enough to keep a friendship going.

It would be years of correspondence which eventually led to them officially dating.

A well-oiled machine

Today, each partner glances in the other's direction when unsure of any fact. They work like a well-oiled machine, each picking up where the other is not sure. They find that their belief in prayer and pooling their resources are some of the things which allow them to work.

"The easiest part of being married is knowing that this is forever and you will work at it no matter what," she said.

For those thinking about getting married, she said it's important to have trust; keep in mind that habits are not likely to change after the ceremony; and having common goals and expectations for marriage. But, to top it off, she said always to go with your gut feeling.

Ewart said while it is understandable that some might be discouraged about marriage because of the prevalence of divorce, it does not make them nervous about their commitment.

Movie stars

"In the life of the movie stars, you see a girl across the table, you smile at her, you wink at her and tomorrow you get married and then she squeezes the toothpaste at the bottom and you are divorced. That situation communicates the wrong message about the institution of marriage. But when you understand that it is more than that, then you take some comfort in that."

The couple raise their children: Elliott, eight months, Ethan, two years and Breanna, seven years, in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

- Sacha Walters

With all that is happening in the world economically and otherwise now, love and relationships will be put to the test. These are the times when couples will discover whether they are needed for better or worse or only when the going is good. So to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, we turn the spotlight on couples who have been in relationships for various periods of time. We look at the Tomlinsons, whose marriage is 49 years old and growing stronger; the Morgans' 10 years of wedded bliss; Cassell and Grace Samuels' whose love is still rising from the ashes after a year; Dexter and Sabrina Wilmott who are still enjoying their honeymoon after only 51 days of marriage and Romar and Andene who just got engaged.