Queen Elizabeth II, Great Britain, R.I.P.

Although our country broke away from this monarch's country,

fighting a protracted, devastating war to gain our freedom, 

to never again take orders as to how to conduct our affairs, 

and to never again bow before a king or queen, we are saying

our goodbyes to a monarch who had been a friend to us, as 

well as to the world. A queen, a magnificent woman who had

no desires of conquest and control but only of friendship and good 

will, who had bid a hearty farewell and good fortune to the former

colonial holdings of her country, which was once the hub of an

empire which stretched across the globe. A great lady who 

could keep a "stiff upper lip" in her people's inimitable way

but also had tenderness and compassion which she had shown 

not on rare occasions. A lady who exhibited grace while dealing

with people who had none, who displayed great diplomacy 

without suffering fools yet never making them suffer her

displeasure. A mother who raised her children, one of whom 

has now succeeded her as the reigning monarch of their 

country to be, like herself, sterling representatives of their

royal family and of their nation and their people. A person 

whom we can all emulate, even though most of us are not in

the least of royalty, and therefore can smooth the rough edges 

of our society and our world. 

Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, House of Windsor, 

Great Britain, United Kingdom, God rest you and love you.

Requiescat in pace. 

MEM