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Such a special narrative from my cousin, Elyse Lebel:

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Last night, we released Kamila’s ashes at Airlie Beach in Queensland, Australia into the Coral Sea. We thought fitting as Airlie Beach is referred to as “the heart of the Great Barrier Reef” — off the coast, there is a coral reef formation that’s naturally shaped like a heart (screenshot below).

 

Airlie Beach is home to the Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach (which is known as the most beautiful beach in the world). We have been blown away by the beauty of this place — its vibrant turquoise waters, its colorful birds (like the rainbow lorikeet which you will find chirping in almost every tree), its lovely and kind people, and its peaceful and laidback atmosphere. 

 

In deciding whether this was “the” place, we kept seeing hearts everywhere — heart rocks and leaves on the beach, heart clouds in the sky. We also kept seeing things in threes — three boats in formation in the water, three birds flying together, when you look past the beach the islands make a formation of three… my favorite coffee shop was called “three little birds,” which instantly made me think of you and your three beautiful children. As we walked around the beach, we found a sculpture of a mother hugging her baby, and I knew that this was it. We released her ashes into the sea right near the sculpture. After we released the ashes and came up from the beach, we found a little nest of three baby birds. 

 

This morning, as we were getting ready to leave Airlie, a visitor came to our balcony — a cockatoo — which was the first time this happened during our stay. I looked up the symbolism of cockatoo’s and found this: “Cockatoos are often regarded as messengers and have a deep connection to the cycle of life and rebirth.” Apparently, if a single cockatoo visits you in your dream, it may be trying to pass a symbolic message from a loved one. 

 

We know that Kamila was all heart. So this is in honor and celebration of her beautiful heart in the heart of the reef. ❤️❤️

 

Present:

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Elyse Lebel

Adam Tourgee