Dear Friends,
The Queen has died, long live the King! Have you been watching the proceedings as the Queen lies in state, such formality and reverence as the Queen’s coffin was carried to where it will be until her interment? I am so impressed with the precision of the procession, the absolute respect of those lining the roads for nine miles to pay their respects many waiting twelve or more hours. The guards at all sides of the coffin as they take their positions, never moving, the uniforms, everyone dressed respectfully. As England says good bye to the Queen who served for over seventy years, and moves on to being ruled by a King the world watches.
Have you had the sad task of attending a funeral recently? I have and too often I look around at the lack of men in dark suits and women in black dresses. The procession of vehicles as the coffin is transported to the cemetery, funeral flags in place, four way emergency flashers and high beam headlights on and still the common courtesies of right of way are too often ignored. No longer do we “sit up with the dead” never leaving the deceased alone. Professional mourners are a thing of the past, people who would (for a fee) cry, so much for the traditions of protocol.
Witness the disgraceful discord here in America since the elections of 2016, the division of our citizens, impeachment proceedings, and the vulgar accusations that only become harsher as we approach another election. We elect our politicians on a regular basis and look how we handle it, accusations of illegal ballots, fraudulent votes, and stolen elections to downright name calling. To think 246 years ago we threw England out declaring ourselves independent. Apparently we threw some very important things out in the process, civility, respect, and manners, possibly the respect of the world.