Pink For A Queen

Day 330: Today, with the passing of Elizabeth II, I am reminded that all things must end, both good and bad. Elizabeth herself said as much when Britain's people were struggling through difficult times, and her words hauled them up by the strings of their character to meet numerous challenges. This is a measure of true leadership, the ability to unite people in a common cause. I admired Elizabeth greatly for this facet of her charisma, that she could reach peoples' hearts despite their differences and, if seen from my romanticized, American perspective, that she was a tough but kind and considerate ruler. But this you already know, or will have heard on today's news. What you may not know is that I watched her coronation on a black-and-white Muntz television set which my father had bought expressly for the purpose of allowing me to witness an historic event. I don't recall that I knew it as such, young as I was, but I have never forgotten the moment when the ceremonial crown was placed on her head and slipped down to her eyebrows before the celebrant realized it was too large for her. If ever there was a moment typifying British aplomb, it was then. For me, this was the historic moment, perhaps not the one my father had intended to impress on my brain but significant nevertheless. Today, I mourn her passage. The world will not see her likes again.