I carry your heart with me

Sorry I've been missing in action, wildcats. I was in DC seeing my sister off; as of noon today, Lisa Danger is officially in Afghanistan tracking terrorists and gathering intelligence and generally being awesome.

I know its ridiculous, but I miss her already. I miss her more than I miss new episodes of LOST. I miss her more than I miss eating sugar and ice cream and pizza and Simmental. More than the deserts miss the rain. (Great song, btw)

I am also incredibly proud of her---a kind of pure pride that I have never before felt. Of course, I was proud of Lisa when she graduated college. I was proud of wildcats and wolfpacks when we won the Stylish Blogger award. I've been proud of Brit every single time she has picked herself up off the floor and staged a come-back. Every time. This, however, is a different kind of pride.

My sister is strong and wonderful and funny and sarcastic and beautiful; she is my favorite person on the planet, and my life is constantly made better because she is in it. Like so many others in her field, she is giving up months of her life to work for our safety, and I am so damn proud.

I love her more than anybody, and can't help being uber cheesy and mushy and sharing this ee cummings poem...which has so been on my mind these past few days.

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

She'll be back in September. Until then, your suggestions for creative and fun and useful care-packages are most welcome!