Sacramental sex: Divine love and human intimacy

We were caught off guard, and so we stalled for time. It was a cold New England morning.  We'd already finished breakfast, brushed teeth, pulled on boots, coats, hats and gloves and loaded our two children into the car for the ride to school, preschool and then work.

Mind you, we've done a decent job laying the groundwork.  "The egg comes from the Mama," we'd say with good cheer over the dinner table or during a bath. "And the seed comes from the Dadda.  And when the seed and the egg come together, they grow and grow in Mama's belly until one day a new baby is ready to come out."

We've kept it simple, of course, doing our best to stay open, calm and casual so that the broad topics of bodies and sexuality would not end up sounding taboo or embarrassing or wrong.