The 8th of September brought back memories for me. The news was shocking and I remember watching BBC on the train to double check what my colleagues just told me.
When Beth said The Queen is poorly I thought well she has been poorly before and I am sure she is in good medical hands. She just greeted the new PM on Tuesday, how could she be poorly that quick? Then I heard the 3pm news reader saying they called for family. That was the moment that I knew deep down it is going to be sad days ahead, then the news confirmed it around 6.30pm.
We watched the news special until 11pm and cried. She was an incredible and remarkable woman, our distant Grandmother. Even the weather was sad if you remember the pouring rain on Thursday evening.
Friday I felt empty and very sad. It was hard to smile or chat with clients. All day I was thinking about my Grandma ( my Dad's Mum) who loved The Queen and the Royal Family even though they never ever met. This sadness is still with me. This is why I write this post to find my piece and pay tribute to two fantastic, hard working women, my role models.
My grandmother was born in 1926, which is the same year that Queen Elizabeth II was born. The two were born 62 days apart and they have lived very different lives. My grandmother grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. She raised three children ( the fourth one sadly died after couple of days) while working as a cleaner and later taking care of her husband who lived with half of lung as result of his years in Siberia as a prisoner in. Her life has been hard at times, but she never complained or made excuses about it like some people do today—she just did what needed to be done!
The Queen and Grandma are remarkable women. Both were strong, independent leaders ( leader of nations and leader of family) who has lived through good times and bad. Both married for love, cared for husband and children, and raised grandchildren. Experienced what they experienced throughout their life! No one could ever replace my Grandma or The Queen because no matter how hard they tried they just wouldn't get it right!
They were people who didn't complain. They didn't complain when life was hard, and they didn't make excuses when things went wrong.
My Grandma taught us that complaining wouldn’t solve anything—you just needed
to keep moving forward despite whatever challenges came along your path. Resilience the word which describe both of them.
My grandmother was a role model for me. She was the one who taught us how to be proud of who you are, how to love God, her country and family.
She did more than care for her family; she loved them with all of her heart and soul just like The Queen did.
It will take some time to settle and get used to the new normal, our new King,
Charles III. I will miss her colourful dresses when she appeared in public or her photos with the head scarf on, just like my Grandma wore it. But I am grateful to have them in my heart and in my memories forever.
Thank you for everything!
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