When I had lunch with the Queen ......
I Met someone for lunch.
I was on her right.
She was on my left.
She had picked me from a list
She didn’t want anyone boring
cliche conversation not for her
Good on you Ma'am
I planned what I wanted to communicate
what I wanted to share with her.
I didn’t want to talk ‘level one’,
(Corgi dogs and Buckingham Palace gossip!)
It did help because I had met her Mother - the Queen Mother
when she visited the Mayflower Family Centre in 1980 when she was 80!.
She remembered the Queen Mums famous photograph
of her playing snooker with me in the youth club.
I shared with the Queen::
Sam ::
A young man who had the worst of starts in life
He had been dumped on a Social Services office
by his parent and they disappeared.
How he had spent years in ‘Care’
Then in prison before coming to the YMCA
as a teenager - and how
he had found a ‘family' whilst living in the YMCA community
and after he had moved out to live in the community
how he often returned ‘HOME’ .
We
150 bed Hostel
150 Staff
200 Volunteers
6,500 members
we was his HOME.
Two Doors::
About the two doors and human development
This is an experiential question I ask in groups/facilitation.
I will blog about that again soon.
( I was dying to ask her which door she would choose to walk through)
The Two Doors Question::
1 Instant Perfection
or
2 Gradual Growth
AND why her choice?
(you could do this NOW
It is best with another person tho)
Volunteers::
About her majesty being our Chief Volunteer (National Patron)
and how we had 200 active volunteers at our local YMCA.
She only asked me one question -
see below***
Her Majesty was particularly interested in knowing
how we integrated our YMCA work
with the most needy AND
a spectrum of people from the community.
We did talk personally and she was interested in our family
plus human growth and development, faith, and the YMCA!
It was 6th of March 2003
When I had lunch with the Queen
when she visited Romford –
first time in her 50 year reign!
I was the CEO at the local YMCA - back in the day.
I was placed as an option to sit on her right hand –
but I understand it was Her Majesty who picked me.
Thanks to those who nominated me.
I wonder if she will remember me?
When she places that SWORD on my shoulder
and says ‘Rise Sir Pip’
and then slices my head off !
Hey! Hey!
*** The One Question the Queen asked me::
She asked me about Sam
“Why did he go to Prison?”
I said
‘I don’t know Ma’am - I have never asked him’
