I was in Montana last week, with my family to mourn the passing of my father, but Denise was on my mind a lot, largely because hers was the first loss I experienced in my life that really, genuinely hurt, on a daily basis. But I also thought of her because the family told stories about their adventures at the Montana state fair, and I remember how much Denise used to love to go to the state fair in Minnesota. She'd come back for the first week of school and tell us about it, enjoying the ridiculousness of it all, with that warm, sweet humor she had. I have a photo of her beside my computer, so I look at her face every day, just to say hello. She and I were e-mail pals, and I miss those long, rambling discussions we had (and how amused we were that we worked across campus from each other but did most of our communication in cyberspace). She was wickedly smart, and completely unaware of how brilliant she was. She loved with a full and open heart. And there are times when I feel her presence as if she is still right there, at the other end of an e-mail. The only thing that's missing is her wonderful, insightful, funny reply. But all the love is still there, all around us.