The Queen is dead.
Long live the King.
For some time now, I've been dreading the writing of this blog. The day was bound to come. I wasn't ready, though we are never ready for a major loss. The Queen was 96. I wanted her to be here for another 4 years like her mother had been. Sadly this was not to be. I heard the news that physicians were 'concerned' for her health after I woke this morning. That message from the Palace spoke volumes, since there rarely is a comment on the health of Royal Family members. To have sent this message to the world told us that things were grave at best.
I was traveling today. Before the later afternoon flight, no further word had been received. Family members had rushed to Balmoral to be at her side. News outlets assured me they were all in place by that time of day. When I landed almost two hours later, I found the next waiting lounge and opened the wifi to check the news. She was gone. I had tears right there in the airport surrounded by other travelers. Now, I found myself in the US trying to come to terms with this news, while surrounded by strangers who might not really 'get it'. I felt very alone. This loss is huge for many people across the globe. For me, I've known no other monarch in my lifetime since she was on the throne for over 70 years. At my age, my mother had seen four monarchs and my grandmother had seen six monarchs. My ancestry is from the UK. My nation had a special relationship with the Queen. After all, this monarch visited Canada more than any other nation during her years as Queen, with another visit that had occurred when she was still Princess Elizabeth. She was our head of state -- as well as the UK there were over a dozen other nations for which she held this position. I've seen the Queen live four or five times throughout my life. Other members of the Royal Family members have been seen when they visited Canada, too.
The final leg of the trip showed me an amazing nearly full moon and the most beautiful orange sunset as we flew into the night. These views helped bring me a sense of calm. I needed that. Meeting a dear friend at the airport helped, too. I felt much less alone.
Please forgive my posting the blog out of order -- the earlier ones are in the polishing phase and will be posted soon. This one just seemed more important to get out now and the petty issues I deal with on a daily basis were put into perspective with the news of today.
I chose a song that was played in a concert tonight in tribute to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The lyrics seemed to fit the view out my window this evening. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II -- Elton John (Toronto concert 8/9/22)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Queen Elizabeth II tribute) -- Elton John
No comments:
Post a Comment