All About Sarah

I have learned so much about Governor Sarah Palin from many sources, and I thought for those of you who don't know much about her, this summary might be interesting. 

Sarah Louise Heath was born on February 11, 1964. She was the third child born to Chuck and Sally Heath, who moved to Alaska when Sarah was just 2 months old. Her father was a teacher and FULL of adventure! He and his family ran trap lines, fished, put out crab pots, hunted mountain goats and seals...but the favorite family activity was hiking up the alpine lakes and searching for artifacts left behind during the Gold Rush. Sarah’s mom Sally, in addition to running their very busy household, worked as a school secretary after the family moved to Wasilla in the early 70’s. 

Year round, the family’s life focused on fitness and the outdoors. Gardening and hunting fed this active family of six. The kids seemed very close, and “honesty became a nonnegotiable family standard”. If the Heath children wanted something, “they earned it”! Sally was the spiritual “rock” of the family, it seems, and made sure they were always faithful to church. 

As for Sarah, it sounds as if she had the “all-american” upbringing, with a twist! What an amazing childhood this girl had! It was filled with adventure like most of us have never experienced; it seems there was never a dull moment! Basketball became an important part of Sarah’s life in high school. I heard a family friend say on Fox news that Sarah never was one to score a ton of points, but Sarah once told a reporter “Basketball was a life changing experience for me. It’s all about setting a goal, about discipline, teamwork, and then success”.  

After high school, Sarah entered a Wasilla beauty pageant, much to the amusement of her brother. She was trying to earn money for college, and she did win a scholarship. It seemed the right thing to do, although she didn’t much enjoy the process. 

Sarah’s father says that she has two traits that had great impact on who she is today. One, she loves to read. He said she’d read just about anything she could get her hands on. “She read the [news]paper from the very top left hand corner to the bottom right hand corner to the very last page,” said her sister, “she didn’t want to miss a word. She didn’t just read it-she knew every word she had read and analyzed it.” She prefers reading nonfiction books, and grew up in a home where education was very much a priority.  The second trait she has is “what her father calls an unbending, unapologetic streak of stubbornness”. 

Sarah’s niece Lauden compares their family to that in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. 

The same criticisms of her that you hear from her opponents today have always been thrown at her, inexperience being number one. But as her opponents throw this accusation at her, she defies the odds and continues to work hard at getting that experience they say she lacks. “One of her strengths is being able to hold her tongue when she’s been unfairly attacked”, said her brother Chuck Jr. “By staying true to her beliefs, things always seem to fall into place for her.” 

**Quotes taken from “Sarah” by Kaylene Johnson, Chapter 1.**

More to come!