As many of you know, I love England. I also greatly admire the Queen for she is a living testament as to what honoring one’s pledge really means. Every day she lives out the commitment she made in the early 1950s. On April 21, 2016 she will be ninety years old. To me she looks wonderful. Still healthy, with her smile and determination in full view.
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Queen Elizabeth made that promise when she was 25 years old.
Pledges and vows may seem hard to say at the time we make them. I think they are harder yet to live out, to say yes to keeping the vow every single day for the rest of your life. I think that is why I admire the Queen so much. She is as human as I am. There must be days she doesn’t feel like being a queen. Still, she does it, has done it for 63 years and counting. Remarkable.
“Therefore, I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of power and a splendor that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years that I may, by God’s Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen.”
Happy birthday, Your Majesty, and thank you for showing us how to live an exemplary life. Thank you for the sacrifice of self to fulfill your promise. You are an inspiration to me.
The Telegraph published a great story about the taking of the picture of the queen as well as the heirs apparent. Great story.Click here to read it. (Hint: Little George steals the show.)
About Julie Saffrin
Julie Saffrin is the author of numerous published articles and essays. Her latest book, BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life, explores the power of gratitude and offers 120 creative ways to journey toward positive, lasting change.
Thank you for sharing this. I had the privilege to attend a birthday party and parade for the Queen in 1959 when my husband was stationed in Berlin, Germany. I was too young to fully realize the importance of the event, but I am grateful now that I had that privilege.
Thanks, Ann, for commenting. I’d love to hear, as would others, the story about attending the Queen’s birthday party in 1959. Would love if it you would share it here.