After staying up late to witness the historical speech of the first woman to be nominated as the Republican vice presidential candidate, I was amazed and tickled by her comments.

While the presidential election has been old news for going on a year now, you have to admit, Sarah Palin has spiced it up a little.  I learned a lot listening to her speech during the Republican National Convention, and I learned even more listening to the spin doctors afterward.

There isn’t a Republican alive who isn’t strutting around proud as a peacock over this female nominee, and it’s amazing how the Dems are starting to become conservative, too. I’m all too curious about how they see the role of a wife and mother of five children who’s on the verge of grandparenthood, embarking on a path to the White House.

All of a sudden, the liberals think Mrs. Palin should stay home and take care of her family and that the demands of the executive office will be too taxing. Who are they afraid of?

Better than that, I had a revelation about the cosmetic we all know and love as lipstick. After hearing Sarah Palin say the difference between a “hockey mom” and a pit bull was lipstick, I had to admit … she’s right.

Every mother worth her salt could relate to that comment, knowing full well that when it comes to our kids we can be pretty protective and sometimes, when necessary, downright nasty. But lipstick seems to have an impact in so many other areas.

Lipstick can be the icing on the cake when you’re going out for the evening, changing the everyday makeup routine into an “I’m-feeling-good-and-ready-to-take-on-the-world” attitude.

This colorful cosmetic can also make the difference on a bad hair day. The right shade, with the right liner, can take you from the depths of horrible hair to the heights of an acceptable style.

Lipstick is also a helpful tool for looking prepared when you really aren’t. For those unexpected guests who drop in and catch you while you’re still in your barn clothes, you can sprint to the bathroom, slap on the lipstick and look as if you’ve got it all together.

And for those 4-H moms who drag themselves out of bed on day five of the county fair, pull on the dirty jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt with no time for makeup, a dab of lip gloss can change an overtired and cranky mom to a slightly happy, nearly human woman.

And let’s not forget the writing attributes of lipstick. It can be used for a romantic message on a bathroom mirror or in place of a pen for an urgent phone number. And kids love to draw with the bright red glamour stick – all over your bedroom walls and on the carpet in the church foyer, while waiting for Mom to get done chatting with the ladies.

Lipstick can alert the kids to get in the van because Mom is going to town, and she’s bound to make a stop at Wal-Mart. And, it makes a great marker for your cup at a party; no one else in the crowd will touch that cup with lipstick smeared on the edge.

The color of lipstick can evoke a memory at first glance. Who doesn’t recall the childhood memory of that one lady who always wore the brightest lipstick you’d ever seen in your life? And don’t forget the miniature lipsticks you could get from the Avon lady – a little girl could fill her purse with those small samples of lip color and have a ball smearing it on and wiping it off until her lips were sore.

Yes, that little stick of color that we daily dab and blot ushers a young lady into full-blown womanhood, garners respect when we really don’t deserve it and reminds us that we live in a civilized nation … and that just because our teenager got slammed to the ground by the biggest lineman in the county doesn’t mean we can storm the football field and start ripping heads off boys who are bigger than us.

Thanks, Governor Palin, for that wonderful reminder of the importance of lipstick. Who knew?

Readers with questions or comments for Melissa Hart may write to her in care of this publication.