The Sanctuary of Sarah

My second day in Cairns was rainforest day. I had two options – Cape Tribulation or Kuranda. I chose Kuranda because it had a Butterfly Sanctuary. I have a very special place in my heart for butterflies. Not because I made the stupid mistake of getting a butterfly tattoo when I was 21 (which at the time, had no meaning whatsoever, besides the fact I thought it was “cute”), but b/c my best friend, Bianca, loved them. Bianca was a very spiritual person. When we were in high school, one of our favorite things to do when she “got the car” was go to a store called Sanctuary Crystals. It had all sorts of jewelry, candles, incense, books on tarot card reading, etc. We just loved to go and see what we could find next and spend our money on.


Years later, after we had lost a few loved ones, we were sitting by her pool and we saw a butterfly and she told me that when you see a butterfly, it signifies that your lost loved ones are nearby, watching over you. Bianca and I would share stories about seeing butterflies. Ever since that day, every time I see a butterfly, I smile. I think of that day she told me the meaning and I think about the stories we shared and how happy it made us.

Bianca passed away on August 2, 2009. To this day, I’m still numb about it. To lose a best friend...a piece of my heart is now missing. The one thing I know is that Bianca was a huge supporter of me taking this trip. Every time I saw her she would ask new questions about my plans and encourage me to go through with it. Like me, she wasn’t fearful, or nervous. She knew it would be the experience of a lifetime and that it was something I needed to do. Going to the butterfly sanctuary was a tribute to Bea. The moment I walked in, it took my breath away. The butterflies were everywhere, flying over my head and skimming past my nose. There were all kinds - big, small, red, yellow, blue, purple, polka dotted. It was amazing. They made me smile and gave me comfort of knowing that Bianca is with me every step of the way…