Three years ago, a man in Sydney responded to some poems of mine he found online. We wrote back and forth and soon became fast friends.

After many Skype sessions and heart-to-heart conversations, Andrew invited me to visit him. I had airline miles to use that would get me there from California. And Andrew offered to pay for me to stay at an Airbnb nearby, an expense he could barely afford.

We made plans to go to the Great Barrier Reef. In the meantime he wandered the neighborhoods of his city, sending me photos of leafy avenues and stunning architecture.

And then. He died. Just like that. A heart attack.

I actually found out on Facebook when I saw a photo of him someone had posted. I was heartbroken, in shock.

I postponed my trip until I felt I could face landing in Sydney without Andrew there. Two of his friends, with whom I had connected online, agreed to meet me. One, Mary, offered to come from Canberra. The other, Yantra, invited us to the Central Coast where we could have a small ceremony to honor Andrew.