HOW WE MET: Great love stories from readers

~All of her life, Donna thought of love as something she would be open to, but never pursued. At the age of 43, love walked into Donna Guethle's life. And his name was Ray.

Ray Simonton and Donna Guethle

Ray Simonton and Donna Guethle were friends long before their relationship became a love story. He had a beautiful heart -- a friend to everyone. One of his most unforgettable expressions of love was when Ray's first wife was dying and she lost all of her hair. Ray came to work with a bald head.

Following his first wife's death, Ray asked Donna if she would like to go out to eat. They went, and at the end of the meal, he asked if she'd like to go to a movie. The next day, at work, a vase of flowers appeared on Donna's desk, simply thanking her for a nice evening. A few weeks later the pair went hiking at Trail of Tears State Park, and as they walked back through the woods toward the river she turned to him and said, "I hope my white knight doesn't get us lost." The friendship was slowly becoming much more. From that simple comment, Ray and Donna began their courtship.

Ray and Donna were co-workers and everyday she found a soda on her desk. When she walked in for dinner one evening he had prepared a great meal. On the table sat a vase of roses. "We both kept Hallmark in business during our friendship, courtship, and marriage," says Donna.

Once, he showed up at her door dressed, literally, as her "white knight." He began sending her poems he had written on stationery with a knight and lady on the cover.

Eventually, Ray asked Donna to marry him. She knew she was falling in love, but Donna had been single for 43 years. She did not say yes. On New Years Eve, Ray asked again and Donna responded by asking, "What would be wrong with my asking you when the time is right?" He told her that was OK, but that she should know his answer would be "yes." Ray stopped proposing and waited for Donna.

Nine months after the couple began dating, they visited a friend and while walking through the cemetery at Gettysburg, Donna asked Ray to marry her. A year later the couple married.

Eleven days before their first wedding anniversary, Ray died suddenly of a heart attack. Donna had never expected love to walk into her life, and now, in one moment, her life changed.

Because Ray loved Irish music and especially the bagpipes, Donna secretly purchased a "Scottish Piping Chanter Kit" for his first wedding anniversary gift and it was placed with him at his death.

"Some people thought I would be bitter that this wonderful man was gone, but I couldn't be bitter. God sent many to comfort me and to help me as my heart healed. God had blessed us with a beautiful gift," she says.

-- Donna Guethle, Cape Girardeau

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~I believe that our love story is special because of the innocent way that we met and became a couple.

Brandon Job and Lacey Neal

It was the end of my senior year in high school and of course all women know what that means... the PROM, the most important day in most women's lives... other than their wedding day. I was trying to decide who to go with, and of course my mother had to be in on this. Needless to say after many, many suggestions by her, we got out the yearbook and started to go through everyone in my high school... boy after boy after boy... and then my mother found him... Brandon Job.

I had known Brandon since he had gone out with my best friend our sophomore year but had never really gotten to know him... besides he was a whole year younger then me. He was definitely NOT who I was going to spend my most magical night with. And on top of that my mom had chosen him. That was just not cool.

Eventually I started getting asked by boys in my class and I kept turning them down. None of them seemed right. One night my brother Lance invited Brandon over to play guitar. He came over and what happened? Nothing. I was so shy (I am NOT a shy person), I couldn't say anything to him and he was so shy he couldn't say anything to me.

Eventually, Brandon got up the nerve to call me and after we talked for a few nights he asked me on our first date. We drove around talking and having awkward moments of silence after dinner. Following this date, we had many others all with their fair share of awkwardness. This went on for a month or so and still Brandon had not asked me to the most important night of my teenage life.

It was down to the last month before the big day and I had turned down six other guys just waiting for Brandon to ask me. Eventually one night he did it... he asked me while we were sitting outside his house looking at the stars. We were still so awkward that looking back it was so cute. Even after being together four years I can still remember the way it felt dancing together that night. We're now engaged.

-- Lacey Neal, Cape Girardeau

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~Jeff and I met through one of the best means -- friends!

Nancy and Jeff Jernigan

The first time we laid eyes on each other was when my friend and I went to play racquetball and she invited Jeff to come and watch. At that time in my life, only a few months after my divorce was final, I was not interested in men. That, by the way, is the BEST time to meet someone. We gathered with groups of friends to play cards and eat Mexican food several times after that. One day my friend called me at work to invite me to go with her and two others (including Jeff) to New Orleans for the weekend. I didn't really have any money but that never stops a young adult from a good time. So I went. And the rest, as they say, is history. We were standing on a street corner in the French Quarter on Friday night and suddenly I was experiencing a kiss that changed my life. I tease Jeff about his lame proposal to me about a year and a half later, but that kiss has more than made up for it. The best part is, our kisses are still just as amazing as that first one. Thank you honey.

-- Nancy Jernigan, Cape Girardeau

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