A Queen and a Little Native Girl

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth, now aged 84, was on a state visit to Canada and as she visited Halifax was presented with a bouquet of flowers by a little nine year old First Nations Mi'kmaq girl named Tyeisha Jordan also known as Angel. As she waited the sweet voices of the Conne River Se't Anewey First Nations Choir sang "Amazing Grace" in the Mi'kmaq language. The Queen, gracious as ever, made her way over and received the floral tribute.

I was both touched by this story and also moved as I remembered another Queen, a relative of Queen Elizabeth known as Queen Victoria,  meeting with a First Nations Child. The story is told by the late Captain Ray Lewis, an American Church Army Officer, recorded in his autobiography "Glory" on the website http://www.tellout.com. Here's how Ray told it.

Queen Victoria

"I met a wrinkled one hundred and two year old lady wrapped in a tasseled shawl. She told me in a very thin voice of a trip she had made as a child to Europe. In England, she had performed in a Wild West Show before Queen Victoria. With a twinkle in her eye she related that the whole cast was lined up to be introduced to Her Majesty. Everyone else bowed or curtsied but this five year old adamantly refused."

"The Queen was curious and spoke to her father, 'Why doesn't your little girl curtsy like the others?' The Indian Gentleman replied, 'She's a very independent child, madam, why don't you speak to her yourself?'"

Queen Elizabeth

This little girl was called forward and gently asked why she would not observe this courtesy. "No," she blurted out, "you are not my God! My God's in the United States of America!" Warmed by her directness, Queen Victoria leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "God bless you, my dear! You know where you belong!" This frail child knew where she belonged. She belonged to a great God and knew it.

How quick we are to bow the knee and leave behind our highest principles because everyone else does it. How I wish that more young people and older people too had the courage of their convictions and the courage to stand up for what is right.

That's what I think anyway.

Rev Ron