These past days have been fraught with so many issues that may have well thwarted all my valiant efforts in this huge challenge I am trying to overcome. Not only do I have physical injuries and pain to deal with but there has been the more mammoth and vastly more important death of our Queen Elizabeth. As with most of the world, my eyes and ears have been occupied by the coverage of all the events pertaining to and surrounding this sad passing of Her Majesty. Growing up in South Africa as I did, I never knew what it felt like to be patriotic, so ashamed and embarrassed was I about Apartheid. Moving to the UK 25 years ago and subsequently becoming a British citizen 5 years later, I experienced for the first time, the pride that patriotism for a country can elicit. This was further highlighted and increased in 2012 when we moved to London at the time of the Olympics. Sadly, all of this was erased when the referendum vote swung in favour of separating from the EU. Once again, I was ashamed to carry a British passport when abroad. Now, at the time of the Queen’s passing, I once again find swellings of pride welling up in my heart when I observe how the British nation has risen up again in all its magnificence, to pay its deepest respects to this extraordinary woman. Not only has there been a collective grief and genuine sincerity in the mourning of this loss to the nation but the way that the British conduct and commemorate state events is completely unique and totally brilliant, bar none. No-one does it better and I mean no-one. The precision, attention to detail, solemnity and co-ordination of peoples and events has astounded even the most cynical of us. All of this, using modern technology whilst adhering and respecting traditions of old is a master feat that only this country can achieve. It has been completely faultless and from the onset, nothing has been able to thwart or divert attention away from the task at hand – to give the world a spectacle in pomp and circumstance and a tribute to a Queen who deserves and has earned every second of it. However for me, what I have enjoyed the most, has been the way that her Majesty’s Christian belief and faith has not been sidelined or glossed over but has played the most important and vital part in all the services and ceremonies. The quite reverence that has purveyed has been so dignified and respectful and it has been so gratifying to see that most citizens have accepted this without the compunction to refuse to comply with the country’s collective grief due to their own personal belief and faith. For once, this is solely about the death of the Queen and head of The Church of England and whether one is a royalist or not, one cannot fail to be moved by the ensuing outpouring of deep gratitude, admiration and sorrow.
Whether the UK will continue to feel the positive effects of her reign in years to come and to reflect on her life and legacy remains to be seen but there is hope once more in our land after some of the most difficult years that all of us have been through. I sincerely hope that we can all look to the Queen’s example and desire to emulate even to the smallest degree, that element of selflessness and service to others. Yes, changes are necessary to adapt and move forward in the fast changing 21st century but the fruits of the spirit dwell in all of us and it behoves us to to dig deep from time to time . In this way we can honour her Majesty’s memory forever more and her legacy will never die.
