My mom doesn’t use a computer. In addition to making her airline reservations online, every few days I print out copies of my daily blog for her to read. This blog will not be included in her next batch.  And if any of my kids are reading…stop now. I have sex on the brain. Like , I’m watching the words appear on my computer screen while I ponder the complexity of male-female relations as I pound the keyboard.

Something else was pounding last night, while I read yet another book in the addictive . For a reason beyond good judgement, I want to share:

I touched the fly of his jeans, and suddenly the moment for being tentative was over. His jeans were off, and his shirt, too, and my panties vanished. His long cool body pressed full-length  against my warm one. He kissed me over and over in a kind of frenzy. He made a hungry noise, and I echoed it. His fingers probed me, fluttering against the hard nub in a way that made me squirm. “Eric,” I said, trying to position myself underneath him. “Now.” He said. “Oh, yes.”

I’m way out of my usual book genre. I never do romance novels. True, is a writer who is not easily classified. She blends mystery, action and science fiction into her writing along with the steamy love-making scenes.  I now have a new found appreciation for all of the paperbacks I walk by in Walgreen’s with foil touches on the covers. The ones with women being swept away by their handsome hero.

When it comes to love and intimacy, surely it’s possible to watch a great love scene in a movie or read one in a book, and enjoy it for what it is... entertainment. The bar is set way too high to expect that your own sex life could equal the passion of in the or . Or can it? There’s always that doubt, maybe something is missing. It could be you have a storehouse of memories, of sex so extraordinary, it went beyond normal pleasure and keep you coming back for more.

What is it about being a voyeur to someone else’s made up love story that’s so compelling? Is it the opposite of the split-second reaction I have, when I hear someone else’s bad news? Instead of thinking “Thank God it didn’t happen to me.” I'm kinda thinking: “Please God make it happen to me.”

Is it appropriate to ask God to bless your sex life? I say, why not? If we are made in the image of our Creator, surely there is nothing off limits in our prayers. Giving and receiving pleasure is a gift. Often, gifts come wrapped waiting to be opened. Occasionally, a gift will come to you as is. Whatever the circumstances, a gift is given with your delight in mind, make it special— enjoy it!

As I get ready to make love,
guide me to be
a giver and getter of gifts.

Sometimes receiving pleasure
is beyond reach for me.
But not tonight.
This time it will be about us,
not my shopping list, the kids
or my petty complaints.
Just us.

Please provide me
with the peace of mind
to be in the moment.

-Rachel Lee