She was our Queen. There can be few readers who remember life before Queen Elizabeth II.

To the nation and ages she was more golden thread than golden throne.

A glue that would not unstick. It was as if she would go on and on.

And like the love of a parent felt by a child, it was easy to take the Queen for granted. I know I did.

The best leadership is the easiest to take for granted.

Her presence was not dominating but assured, careful and guiding. She was a pattern for us to keep.

What resonates with me since her death are her values in how she served us. Her dignity in duty, her commitment to country and her mystery and mischief stay with me.

Amid the distraction of flickering divisions and daily bickering, she kept her counsel.

Preferring to hold her peace than give us a piece of her mind. In a time of trends she was a constant.

Like my own 96 year old grandmother, her dignity was patient. Assured with the quiet confidence of experience.

And like my granny, her humanity had more than a trim of mischief.

Starring roles alongside James Bond or Paddington Bear testify to her humour.

But one of my fondest is her appearance with her grandson Harry for his Invictus Games.

These games honour servicemen and women who fought for Queen and country.

In a short video she laughs off the challenge from Team Obama, in the first monarch mic-drop moment.

The world has shared in our grief. And we associate ourselves with the loss, whether loyalist, royalist or republican.

There is comfort in coming together to honour Her Majesty The Queen. And her dutiful life whose example continues to reign over us.

Her death is the end of an era and marks the beginning of a new one.

New starts bring new possibilities.

I hope mournful reflections will inspire our best instincts towards each other.

And that these should not only extend to the worst of times but in how we are to one another everyday.

Even in death the Queen's golden thread has sewn us together. I hope that in those moments of unity, generosity and common grief we can restore faith in each other. To believe in better.

We've had a bruising decade with seismic events impacting on everyday life.

Austerity, Brexit, Covid and now the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

This week, life as we know it dramatically changed.

Politics has taken a back seat, even though the pressures and realities of everyday life have not.

As these pressures re-emerge, let us remember and take the example of Queen Elizabeth II. God save the King.

@JamesFrith is former MP for Bury North and Labour Candidate for Bury North at the next general election.