We finally laid my husband Rollyn's ashes to rest. Rollyn passed away nearly 20 years ago, in Australia. He'd always said he wanted to be cremated, but afterwards, I didn't know what to do with the ashes. I knew he didn't want me to leave him in Australia, so when I returned to America the ashes came with me. But I still didn't know what to do with them. I moved from Sunny Isles to Aventura to Tucson, and so did the ashes. Buy an urn, people said. But he wouldn't have liked an urn, and I really needed to get this final thing right.

The first time I came here to Puerto Penasco and stood on the balcony looking out at the sea I thought, Rollyn would have loved this! And I knew what to do. But I had to wait until the tides were right, so that I could get out to the deep water beyond the second reef.

This morning at low tide, the second reef was completely exposed.

Bao and I went all the way down the beach, further than we've ever gone, past the first reef and through the tidal pools and out onto the second reef. And at the furthest end of the reef, I poured the ashes into the sea and said, I love you.

Just then, the tide turned. And by the time we got back, the place where we'd stood on the reef was already under water.