Thursday, September 8, 2022

I Sort Of Thought She Was Immortal


I had Levon duty today and I told him that the Queen of England had died. Of course he had no mental relationship at all to the Queen of England and I told him that she had been very old and had been the Queen for a very long time and that England is far away across the ocean and I showed him a picture of her in a crown


and he perked right up and said, "She was a real queen?"
"Yes," I said. "She was." 
"Did she have magical powers?"
"No," I said. "She didn't.
"Did she have a magic wand?"
"No," I said. "But she had a lot of crowns and she was a pretty good queen."

I think she was. It seems to me that she put her country and her duties to it above all else and I would not have wanted to be her for a second, nor her children or husband or grandchildren. No way. What a strange and unnatural life it must be to be an English royal. 
My favorite pictures of her are like the ones of her working as a mechanic or an ambulance driver in WW II. That was some real stuff, or at least as real as it could have been under the circumstances, I suppose. Levon also asked me if there were any pictures of her being dead and I told him that no, there probably aren't. 
"Why not?" he asked. 
I really did not have a great answer but just said something like, "Well, that's not something people do." 

You know what I keep thinking? That two days ago she was doing this. 


And then today with seemingly very little muss or fuss, she just...died. 
She got it done! How very like her. 
She stayed where she was in her castle in Balmoral, Scotland and she did the next thing she had to do which was to let go of this life. 

We should all be so graceful in our living and in our deaths. I think that there will be a great deal of grieving in Great Britain. Whether one is a royalist or not, Queen Elizabeth always seemed to represent a calm and steady sort of light, even to many of us who were not her subjects. She may have been a figurehead but what a fine figurehead she was! 

So yes, I picked up Levon today and we went to Publix and I got him and August toys and I could tell he was so sleepy on the way home. He did fall asleep on the couch a little while after we got to his house. I gently rubbed his little long legs and feet and sang him a silly song that I made up with verses unending and finally, holding the truck I'd gotten him, he fell asleep. 

Here he is when when he woke up. 


I have felt better today with just a few episodes of belly-clinching anxiety. I can feel it there underneath everything, slow simmering, but quite liveable-with. This is good because tomorrow is the annual Lunch with Grandparents Day at Gibson and Maggie's school. Before I picked up Levon I bought the things we'll take for our and the kids' lunches. Wraps from Costco which they love, fresh fruit, some chips and a few mini cupcakes because what purpose is there to being  grandparents if we cannot spoil the little sweeties now and then? Maybe this will take a little of the sting out of not being the grandparents who bring in bags of Happy Meals or buckets of KFC. 

And now, off to make a shrimp salad. The shrimp I bought on Tuesday were beautiful and we had some left and so...shrimp salad it will be tonight. I do not want to waste any of those beauties. 

Onward. 

God save the King. Bless his heart. He's got his work cut out for him. 

Love...Ms. Moon


30 comments:

  1. I'm not a royalist but the Queen was a woman of great integrity and I have always respected her greatly. There are not many people who would truly devote their lives as she has and yes, she both entered, and exited with great aplomb and in style. May she rest in peace after a life VERY well lived. Mr Pudding posted a lovely photo of her as a young girl today that made me tear up........ yes, she was special. Oh, Grandparents day tomorrow! I recall those from years past........ bra, flowing cool gauzy dress.....and food....... you will enjoy once you get there!
    Susan M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know Elizabeth II wasn't a perfect person by any means but I do think she did what needed to be done with a lot of grace.

      Delete
  2. It is indeed the end of an era. I'm not sure how Charles will be received. I think William would be more popular but time will tell. How sad that Charles had to wait until he was 73 to do the job he was born to and to get it only on the death of his beloved mother.
    I am glad you're feeling a bit better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suppose that's how the monarchy works- never quite as it seems it should. Elizabeth shouldn't have been queen but for a death and abdication, I guess.
      Charles just doesn't seem very kingly to me. All those years of pictures of him doing...not much...I suppose.

      Delete
  3. Lovely reckoning, Mary. I never heard of grandparents day when my son was that age. He had no grandparents to speak of. I wonder what it might be like for kids who don’t. xo Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This Grandparents' Day is a newish thing to me. They've been doing it at this school since Owen was a little. And all day I've been saying that I feel so sorry for the kids whose grandparents can't come. It seems a little cruel in that regard.

      Delete
  4. Nice post, Mary. I saw her long ago when she visited our town and all the schoolkids lined the sidewalk as she passed in a limo with huge windows. We were amazed at how tiny she was, like a little doll, in a pale blue fitted coat and black leather gloves size teeny.
    I vividly remember her accession, miserable February day. One of a diminishing number of people who remember the last king.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a bit crazy to me how many people I know who have stories about seeing the queen. She certainly got around! She was a teeny thing, wasn't she?
      When she became Queen, she was awfully young for such a public life of responsibility.

      Delete
  5. I'm glad things are a wee bit better for you today. I was saddened by the news as she was a lot better than most of the politicians with which she was acquainted and I feel for Charles III and the rest of her family tonight. I hope you enjoy grandparents day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, if she served any purpose, it might have been to remind us that politicians come and go. I am sure that her family is indeed grieving.

      Delete
  6. England has lost a huge wealth of charm and souvenir power with Queen Elizabeth being "not in house".. Her stability and reliability anchored her county well- felt secure, though it is all illusion we know., and she had nothing to do with the running of country. I reckon they should just hand the crown over to Kate and forget the linage. We have so loved THE QUEEN, Charles has been preparing for this his entire lifetime and now he is old - he and Camilla have some measuring to do!

    Levon, that child's legs , my word!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. She was definitely the matriarch of the country in many ways. And a steady one, at that. I wish they would hand the crown to Kate. Give her the jewels, too!
      Charles is pretty old. I mean- not as old as Mick and Keith but pretty darn old. And he has not always comported himself well.

      Delete
  7. When she was standing for the new PM two days ago, and then took to bed with "mobility issues" again, I wondered when the Queen would just give it up; quit trying to live. She did quit, with equal grace and dignity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. I think she must have just been so tired. And then here's another prime minister? Ooh boy. She needed a nap. A good, long, nap. Bless her.

      Delete
  8. One of Queen Elizabeth's mottos was "Country before Self" and that was how she lived, doing her duties with grace and goodwill. Our politicians could take a leaf from her book! I liked and admired her so very much. I have been very sad today and probably will get teary-eyed for quite some time when I think of her being gone. She is with her beloved Philip again, now and forever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree- grace and goodwill. And such good manners! And yet, I have the feeling that if she didn't like you, you would know it. Remember when Trump and his family were not invited to stay at the Palace because of "renovations"? That cracked me up.
      I understand your sadness.

      Delete
  9. I like how you mentioned that she passed away "with very little muss or fuss". How very like her, I think. What a great woman. Somehow I feel like we've all lost a beloved granny.

    Enjoy your lunch with the boys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And wasn't that her hallmark? "Keep calm and carry on". Indeed! And she did come to feel like a beloved granny. You are so right.

      Delete
  10. I admired the Queen and thought she was such a wonderful example of dignity and grace. She also had a lovely smile and I love the video clips that show her sense of humor. Compared to some of our self-centered celebrities and politicians, she had a life of dedicated service and always appeared calm and dignified.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She did have a lovely smile. And I always liked the way she was around her grandchildren. Always regal, and yet, somehow you felt that there might be a cookie there somewhere for them. Is THAT what she kept in that purse?

      Delete
  11. Queen Elizabeth was such a constant -- seemingly the ONLY constant in an ever-changing world, though of course that was a bit of an illusion. All things must change eventually. I would never want to be a Royal, and yes, Charles has his work cut out for him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like I said- what an unnatural life. I was wondering today if she ever made a meal. I suppose maybe? But who would have taught her to cook? She was so busy learning to be a queen.
      I wonder if Charles is suited to the job at all.

      Delete
  12. As an American I've never understood the fascination with the British monarchy. I don't think the queen was an exceptional person. She did what she was raised and expected to do just as those before her did and Charles will after. Though he has said he's make changes. I guess that will be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, of course, but not everyone does what they were raised and expected to do. I think that's what people admire about her- she seemed to take that role so very seriously. And especially during the war and the hardest times, she gave everyone a calm and strong leadership to look to.

      Delete
  13. When I heard the news yesterday, that the queen had died, I burst into tears. For me, the queen and my mum are inextricably linked. Mum loved the queen. I thought she was an amazing woman who lived a life of duty and didn't bitch about it. She was steady and dignified, even in the face of scandals and disappointment. She changed her mind when required and moved with the times. It can't have been easy living her entire life in the public eye or working into her nineties and yet she did both. Her poor family will miss her terribly I'm sure. RIP Elizabeth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My mother admired her too. I like your comment about how Elizabeth didn't "bitch" about having to attend to her duties so constantly. I hope for her sake that sometimes, once in awhile, at least, she DID. Behind closed doors, of course. Seen just on the level of a job, hers had to be one of the most difficult.

      Delete
  14. Elizabeth was the Queen my entire life so I never knew any different. It wasn't a job she ever wanted but my God was she a class act! And today I've been listening to people's anecdotes of what a great sense of humour she had!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She was a class act. And her kids put her through some things which I think all mothers can relate to.

      Delete
  15. I am ambivalent about the monarchy but the Queen did her duty excellently though possibly to the detriment of her her family life. Not ecstatic about Charles taking over.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Remember when you were a kid and queens wore crowns? So disappointing to grow up and realize royalty wear regular clothes just like the rest of us.

    ReplyDelete

Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.