A Tribute to A Most Extraordinary Achievement of Life. God Bless Queen Elizabeth.

 

I awoke this morning (September 8th) with sense of great sadness when I read the news of Queen Elizabeth’s severely deteriorating health. It was and has been an emotional day for myself and billions of people around the world.

We knew that it would happen one day, after all her majesty lived a long and meaningful 96 years. But death always comes too soon – when we least want it to arrive and most regrettably when an important link to our past is severed.

Many of us had come to love, respect, and depend emotionally on Queen Elizabeth for always being there. She had become our anchor during a very turbulent and unstable time in world history. She has been a symbol of stability and continuity through the fog of many wars and acts of terror.

What makes her very own steering the Ship of State more remarkable is that she became Queen at the age of 25. Despite her youthfulness, throughout her life, she managed to captain the British ship of state and the global flotilla through seas of change, often severely turbulent.

She leaves an incredible legacy, most especially her sense of duty and amazing dedication of service to her peoples. She became a bastion of strength to us when so many were weakened by tremendous challenges, most recently including the ravages of Covid.

I vaguely remember in early 1952 when my parents talked about her youthfulness and the tremendous burden she was about to bear for the world. They worried for her. That year several other impactful events also occurred with the Peace Treaty with Japan (officially ending World War II), the election of Dwight Eisenhower as The American President and, oh yes, Nixon’s famous Checkers Speech. Through it all, Queen Elizabeth rose above the turmoil to encourage us with her infectious smile and words of caring.

For Americans she was always there to mentor our nation. Never to criticize but always to encourage. Throughout her reign The Queen advised many of our leaders to listen to their peoples and to place them first above their own ambitions and often tunnel vision. Her visits to the US included a remarkable four State Visits, five State Dinners, and two unofficial visits.

Today and every day going forward, let’s pay great tribute to an amazing mother of a nation, and mother to King Charles III and his siblings, and the future kings and great leaders of the British Commonwealth.

God bless forever Queen Elizabeth and bestow on her son, King Charles III, the vision, strength, compassion and empathy that the Queen radiated constantly throughout her remarkable reign.

Dr. Richard L Thurston, Esq. – Wappinger Town Supervisor