Icons

Queen Elizabeth II was an icon. She came from a generation of British women who helped win WWII and usher in the modern era. At the age of 21, years before becoming queen, she publicly pledged to serve her country and never wavered from that duty. She was self-sacrificing and dutiful in a way that many of us would chafe at in today’s world.

She was a matriarch – wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. A flawed one, for sure, aren’t we all? And yes, the stiff upper lip is real.

When Richard and I traveled through Southeast Asia for our honeymoon, we would inevitably make small chat with strangers about the Queen when they noticed Richard’s accent. Presumably, many people from around the globe felt connected to her somehow. In my case, that connection was always tied to my own British grandmother who was of that same generation and whom shared so many of those same qualities with the Queen.

Besides the passing of the Queen on Sept. 8, that day was also the 10th anniversary of G-Ma’s death. Like the Queen, she was an icon.

So as the global community mourns the Queen today, I mourn all the British grandmothers from that generation. The world is better for their steadfast presences.