To my immense surprise, I find that as I age I continue to see more of my feminine side emerging. That I have a feminine side at all is a bit of a revelation; that I’m willing to admit it another; and that I see more of it each day an actual wonder.  Yet, here I am, unable to deny the following set of facts:

• I’m no longer the primary breadwinner in my family, and am okay with that.
• I do virtually all of the grocery shopping, meal planning and cooking, and I’m okay with that, too.
• I’ve lost most of my lifelong interest in sports.
• My second favorite TV show is Project Runway (although Justified, a man’s show to be sure, is still #1.)
• I’ve started to follow, and am greatly interested in, a number of blogs directed at women.

Is all of this simply a result of the massive amounts of estrogen in public water supplies, courtesy of the almost universal use of oral contraceptives by modern women?  I think not. It is, I believe, a side effect of my blooming interest in the subject of marital intimacy, awakened in me by Joe and Denise McGonigal at a Love’s Sacred Embrace marriage retreat five years ago. There, they presented a series of talks on The Theology of the Body, one of the lasting gifts left to us by Pope John Paul II, which I, as a fairly recent convert to the faith, felt was uncharted territory worth exploring.

All of the preceding is but a long way of admitting that I follow a blog called Intimacy in Marriage by Julie Sibert, subtitled, “Encouraging Christian Women toward Healthy Sexuality.”  Her most recent post, “Three Things Sex Tells Us about the Lord” is worth your time, regardless of your gender.  I encourage you to follow the link to Julie’s post, in that the three headers about which she writes, by themselves, don’t shed much light on the subject:

1. He understands the power of pleasure.
2. He trusts us.
3. He knew marriage would be hard.

As Intimacy ranks #4 on most lists of the things married couples fight about (see the related post on All Pro Dad), if you’re married and following this blog (and why would you if you weren’t?) there are some useful insights in Julie’s post.  Regardless of whether you’re a woman or a man.

Intimacy may have a different meaning for women than it does for men, but the undeniable fact is that without it, regardless of how you define it, your marriage is going to be a long row to hoe.  Anything we as spouses can do to enhance intimacy in our most intimate relationship is good.  Seeking to better understand our partners, and God’s intentions for us, is a great place to start.

I’d like to continue with this, but instead am going to put on my flannel pajamas and woolly socks, grab my box of Godivas, and head to bed to watch Connecticut and Kentucky play for the national title.  One shining moment, etc.  🙂  God bless you.