As a very young school girl, in our one-room schoolhouse, I remember looking up at the picture on the wall of a beautiful young woman wearing a tiara. Indeed we sang “God Save the Queen,” said the Lord’s Prayer, and someone got to hold the flag too, though I never did get to do that. (It may have been because I was small and someone thought I might be unable to manage that flag, but I still always wished to do it.)

I was a day dreamer, still am. And I remember wondering what it was like to be a Queen and how it would be growing up with a Queen as your mother. As time went on, photos were shown in magazines of Queen Elizabeth with her family, and of course with their Dad too. I understand now that they wanted people in the Commonwealth to see her in everyday life, and likely how approachable she was.

Elizabeth II still had time to spend with her children, but it would be different from my Mom’s role on the farm.

I saved those photos when I could and started a scrapbook. You see, I was still daydreaming what it would be like…

When we sang God Save the Queen, we wished her a long life. And she has had a long life. Her death at 96 certainly showed longevity genes in her family. Getting to celebrate 70 years on the throne is a rather large accomplishment. Most country leaders are not in the same station for nearly as long. Even Presidents and Prime Ministers change with elections. That’s quite different from the Queen of a Commonwealth, which Elizabeth was.

She didn’t expect to be Queen. After all her father wasn’t next in line for the throne. Her uncle was. But when her uncle Edward VIII bypassed his role (quite a thing in those days) to marry someone who was not only divorced but living in another country, it was considered quite scandalous. That meant her father was next in line.

When Elizabeth’s father became king, it became apparent that one day, his eldest daughter would be in line. In a  recent edition of Hello Magazine, the author of the article wrote, ” When he became King George, he took time to teach his daughter the business of the monarchy…”

The family never expected him to die so young or that Elizabeth would inherit the title at such youth. She had a short apprenticeship, but what she did learn came from her uncle and her father, whom she adored.

It seemed quite a distant thing for her, and when Philip was posted overseas in his position with the military, they had a somewhat ordinary life for several years. But that would soon change. She and Philip had returned to England, I believe, and had gone on a trip to Africa when the news of her father’s death came. Philip had to break it to his young wife, far from home, that her father had died. She knew what that meant.

When the news broke that the Queen died and I thought of all Queen Elizabeth II meant, I wrote this on my Facebook post:

On the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II:

I remember as a young school child admiring the photo on the wall at the front of our classroom, wondering what it would be like to be a queen and what sort of things she’d do with her family.

Years later I wrote a poem, School Days. A few lines from that poem:

“…we loyal subjects of the Queen

whose royal splendor

supervises from her frame on the wall

we sing God save her …”

I have followed her life as much as a Canadian girl can over the years. I admired the person she was, her courage, commitment, her bravery in tough times and her sacrifices, which she surely made.

Today I saw these words online that I wanted to remember, a quote from her on her Silver Jubilee, a pledge she made on a visit to South Africa 30 years before:

“When I was 21, I pledged my life to the service of my people and I asked for God’s help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do not reject, or retract, one word of it.”

Rest in peace, Elizabeth II. You have earned it.

I know I do not speak for all people. These are my own views.

More in the next post of my thoughts on her duty over the years, and the dignity and grace shared during her funeral services and the ten-day mourning period.