Queen Elizabeth II died today at the age of 96, having been the longest serving monarch in history at 70 years. In my lifetime, I have never known a king of England or a world without this Queen. I’ve always admired her way of being and truly enjoyed the glimpses into her sense of humor, most recently in her Jubilee video with Paddington Bear. Her assistance of Britain’s own 007 (Daniel Craig at the time) is another special memory. I’m not sure what else can be said. She worked up until this week, and she honored her commitment to her country and the commonwealths under her authority.

While everyone has missteps in their life and work, this is not the time for that historical perspective. She will be remembered for her grace, her dignity, her work ethic, her example in war and difficult times as well as in peace, and hopefully her family and grandchildren will remember her best as their Granny.

Rest her soul.