I know it sounds odd, but this may be the year that a women is literally thrust into a place of prominence and position for no other reason than to put this country back on a solid, conservative track.  While I support Sen. John McCain as the Republican nomination for the presidential race, I would be remiss if I didn't admitt that he is not quite as conservative as many would like. He desperately needs a strong, popular, kick-butt partner on his ticket. Someone who is young with strong, Christian values,  a dedication to family, and a fiscal conservative.

Meet Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has it all. She's a young (44), pro-life, pro-gun (NRA member), mother of 5. Her husband, Todd, is a blue-collar worker for one of the oil companies part of the year and a commercial fisherman the other part.  She's a Christian who regularly attends church and considers every child a gift from God. Sarah is in favor of drilling for oil in Alaska (ANWR) and supports the war in Iraq.  She's known for cutting wasteful spending and recently vetoed more than $250 million dollars from the Alaska state budget.  She has maintained an 85%-94% approval rating in Alaska for the past two years, and her nickname is "Sarah Baracuda".  She's been endorsed by Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingrahm,  Glenn Beck, Real Politics, and many more. And did I mention that she supports homeschooling?

As for her family, she's married to her highschool sweetheart, Todd, who is affectionately and proudly known as the "First Dude".  Her oldest son, Track, is 19 and serving in the US Army. She has two teenage daughters (Bristol and Willow) and a seven year old daughter (Piper). And just 6 weeks ago she gave birth to their son, Trig, who was born one month pre-mature with Down Syndrome. 

Now I know what many of you are thinking..."She should be home with her children, especially this new special needs baby!".  I, too, had some of those same thoughts. After all, I am a very committed, stay-at-home-mom who homeschools. Shouldn't everyone? Isn't that what's best?  I would say yes the majority of time. But every now and then there is an exception to rule.  I have searched my heart and prayed for guidance, and I firmly believe that Sarah Palin is the exception.  She has rapidly risen through the ranks of local government to become Governor and her current "fame" is not of her own campaigning or seeking. Others in the press are praising her for her accomplishments and raising her to notoriety.  Many would rather see her as the Presidential candidtate. Even the NY Times thinks that she could be our first female president.! She is literally being drug to the palace to be placed on a throne - and it is for such a time as this.

Several woman throughout history have sat on a throne, ruled their country, and gave birth and raised children at the same time. Queen Elizabeth II was not born into the 1st line of succession and was never expected to be queen. But with her brother's abdication and her father's sudden death, she became Queen when she was a newly married young mother of Prince Charles.  She managed to get pregnant and give birth to three more children and without giving up her throne.  Princess Dianna - one of the most popular of British Royals ever, managed to do her job as princess, train to be queen, raise her son to be king, and still maintain a very close relationship with her sons. She was involved and very much oversaw their education and every aspect of raising them. I'm sure that both of these women enlisted more than one servant to help with the actual care and feeding of the children, but they were in charge and were the ones raising their children.  So is Sarah Palin.

Even throughout scripture there have been powerful women who were appointed by God to serve. Deborah was a Judge over all Israel.  She was married and, although the Bible doesn't mention children, it doesn't deny them.  And what about the Queen of Sheba? Didn't she have children? Queen Esther gave birth to King Darius and stayed queen. Even the mythical Proverbs 31 Woman (our example)  was not always a stay at home mom.  She dabbled in real estate and ran a textile business. She was busy helping the hungry and the poor. And she saw well to the affairs of her household. She was up before dawn and prepared food for her family and her servants. I think these servants took good care of Prov-31's HOUSE, because she was taking good care of her HOME and told them how she wanted things done.

And what about all these woman who are running Christian and/or homeschool ministries with their husbands? They have children and they work. I've seen them speaking at convention and retreats and they don't always have the baby on the hip while they do it .  Gov. Palin keeps her newborn at the office with her and, as you can see in the picture below, even takes him to meetings.

Now, I'm not advocating that everyone go dump their kids back in the schools and daycare and go get a career. No. But I am saying that there are women who know how to run a business (or a country) without sacraficing their role as wife and mother. And Sarah Palin is one of them. All I'm asking is that you visit the website of the movement (she is not connected with them) and just look at her. Read the links. Listen to the press. See what others are saying  and see if this could be a Queen Esther of our day who will be placed in the palace for such a time as this. As for who will take care of her family? Well, if God has chosen Sarah Palin and is taking care of her path, then I trust that He will also provide the wisdom and the way for her take care of her family also.

If you want to help keep this snowball rolling -- MSNBC is currently running a poll Veepstakes 2008. Go there and vote this week.  And pass this on to all your friends and encourage them to vote and tell Sen McCain who you'd like to see as his second in command.

Thanks for your time. God Bless you and God Bless America.

Blessings & Shalom,
Julie

Crime bill signed

JUNE 6, 2008 - 6:44 AM

Governor Palin holds her youngest child Trig during a bill signing for Senate Bill 265, the omnibus crime bill, on the Capitol steps, in Juneau today. Also pictured, from left, Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, and Alaska State Trooper Christopher Umbs. (AP/Chris Miller)

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Posted by tigrefan98

As a young working-at-home Mom, I look up to Gov. Palin and think she sets a strong example. Real people want leaders they can relate to, and I hope Gov Palin continues to get the national attention she deserves. More of our leaders - male and female - could learn from her example.

moms4mccain.blogspot.com

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Posted by Karen

Thanks for sharing this information about Sarah for VP. I had not heard of her. I will look her up and write Senator McCain if I feel strongly about selecting her for a running mate. She sounds like a remarkable woman! Thanks also for validating women who do not homeschool, and are still able to take care of their homes and children. That means a lot to me personally! -Karen

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Posted by Yael

I was surprised to see your reference to Proverbs 31. She is "Aishes Chayil," an "Accomplished Woman" (or sometimes, "Woman of Valor") - and very familiar to Jews. It's our tradition that the poem is sung every Friday night at the Shabbat table, most often by the husband to his wife. I thought you might also be interested to know that in Hebrew, the text is arranged into 22 lines, each line starting with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

I am also hoping that McCain chooses Sarah Palin. She is very impressive and would bring some interest, even excitement, to the ticket. I've heard her speak about energy issues - like drilling in ANWR - and would very much like to see her get national exposure.

Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

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