Queen Elizabeth’s passing today reminds us that when used to serve, tradition adds stability and dignity to our human experience. While the monarchy is an outdated institution in our modern republics, its evolved, mostly symbolic role gives Americans a connection to our past. 

My Allison family branch came from England in 1658, so I take an ancestral interest in the story of this English throne. It will be an interesting few days of reflection for Americans as we have a variety of responses to this historic shift.