As I watched Governor Sarah Palin give her acceptance speech on Wednesday night for the nomination of Vice President, I felt something stir within me that I've never felt in the context of politics before. What I felt was pure and sincere admiration for a strong, capable woman who stands on the verge of greatness. I've felt this feeling of awe before, but this feeling has been reserved for the likes of Queen Esther of the Bible and Queen Elizabeth I of England, even Charlotte Bronte and Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Glaser, all of whom faced a struggle or challenge of some kind and didn't shy away from it, but faced it with strength and resolve and the elegance that only women are capable of, and in doing so, accomplished something wonderful, something unexpected, something great. These women are among my personal heroes, and it is with a bit of wonderment that I confess that Sarah Palin has now taken her place among the ranks of these women. So you may ask, what has she done to deserve this ranking? I admit with total honesty, it's not what she's done (yet), but rather, who she is. And a random conversation with my sister Sarah helped me understand even more clearly just who Sarah Palin is, and why I admire her so much.
In this conversation, I asked my sister to give me her "Sarah on Sarah" thoughts. Just so you know, my sister Sarah is a woman of 33 years and a mother of 4 children (separated from Sarah Palin by only 11 years of age and 1 child). Without missing a beat, Sarah said, "Oh, she's awesome; I love her." Then she went on to give me the reason why she thinks Sarah Palin is so awesome, and her reason surprised me. Before I go any further, though, I should tell you a couple more things about my sister Sarah...
First, she is no lover of John McCain. While I (and our little sister Katie) have been hoping for and endorsing a McCain ticket since since he first campaigned for the presidency in 2000, Sarah has had problems with him from the get-go, which include his voting record on certain issues. Furthermore, despite my liking of McCain, I would characterize all 3 of us (me and my sisters) as rather reluctant Republicans when it comes time to vote. We are conservative in nature and ideals, but we've often been jaded by the doings of the Republican party and speaking for myself, I've often wanted to put miles of distance between me and the GOP! And frankly, this hasn't been easy for us, since our grandfather was elected to serve on our hometown's county council a few times, our uncle Charlie is the current mayor of that same hometown, and our cousin Brent is an Indiana state senator...and all dyed-in-the-wool Republicans! (But I digress...) My point is, there was no party loyalty going on with my sister, no need to ally with John McCain's pick for VP just for the sake of following the Republican crowd.
Second, my sister is the proud mother of a special-needs child. My sweet nephew Ethan is 6 years old, and suffers from autism. My sister has been and continues to be a true lioness in her efforts to give Ethan the best possible opportunities in education and healthcare. She has single-handedly taken on the public school system in her community, having sat several times in front of an education board assigned to Ethan's case to argue with them that he deserves the chance to learn and grow and stretch his little mind, and not simply be baby-sat for 6-7 hours a day. You can probably guess that my sister has indeed earned him the classroom and curriculum that she chose, that she knows as his mother is the best thing for him.
I knew that Sarah Palin's running mate might be the dealbreaker in my sister's opinion of her, but I was thinking that the commonality of having a special-needs child would be the salvation. It turns out, however, that neither of these things (bad or good) is the predictor or basis for Sarah's opinion of the running-for-office Sarah. As my sister said to me, "I think she's awesome because she's so normal." Indeed, if "normal" means you have problems, but you get up each day and struggle through, and attempt anew to solve those problems and make your life and the lives of your loved ones better, then Sarah Palin is as normal as the sky is blue. As the mother of a young man on his way to serve in Iraq (Track), a 17-year-old unwed mother-to-be (Bristol), another teenage daughter (Willow), a sweet bright-eyed little girl (Piper), and a baby boy with Down syndrome (Trig), this woman is intimately familiar with the everyday struggles of motherhood (and an amazing baby-namer, it must be said!). As Sarah Palin herself said in her speech, "Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys." Of course I know that her statement was intended to appeal to women like me, to help me identify with her. Well, sometimes the truth still has the power to appeal all on its own. Sometimes a candidate's statements don't require the manipulation of pretty words and a charismatic performance to seal the deal with a voter. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple statement of fact, and this one worked for me! It worked for my sister and it worked for me, because I do identify with her. I'm not yet a mother myself, but I hope to be one some day. I am also a member of a family that has always had its share of ups and downs. Most importantly, though, I'm a woman, and in a day and age where women like Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie are supposed to be role models for me, their extreme wealth (and therefore, distance from reality) prevent them from taking that role with a girl like me. Women like me do need role models who are fine examples of wifehood, motherhood, and womanhood, and a woman like Sarah Palin definitely stands out from the crowd. If you think she's on a pedestal with me, you think right. But you know why? Because she's not on a pedestal with herself (unlike the presidential candidate from the opposing party). She doesn't claim to be perfect; she's already shown her imperfections to us and asked us to see her for who she is despite those imperfections -- a woman who's just trying to make a better America for herself and her family. Essentially, this is a normal girl, a girl I'd love to sit and chat with over a cup of coffee. More than that, she's a girl who's got her stuff together, who can run a home and a family and a state, all while looking absolutely fabulous in designer eyeglasses and gorgeous jackets and skirts. I want to be like this woman!
Sarah Palin, you're a normal chick but you're also on a pedestal with me. I'm going to pray for you, that you stay there by doing all you've been called to achieve with your amazing energy. I'm going to vote for you and stand back and watch you accomplish great things.
Sarah Palin, you had me at hello.
Today is the first day of autumn, and here in the mountains of east Tennessee, I am running my air-conditioner. Sigh. Oh well, I'm going to celebrate fall nonetheless! Here's just a few fall-related activities on-tap for the newlyweds:
