Keetha Lowe is a single mother of four, a business owner, and an aspiring UBP Parliamentarian running in Hamilton East who is expert at juggling her time so that no one loses.

But then Ms Lowe has never known anything but juggling several metaphorical balls at once throughout her adult life, so she has simply taken in stride the added pressures of canvassing during the day, evenings and weekends.

What drives her politically is her concern for her beloved Bermuda and the community's well-being.

"It is important for me to make a contribution based on how I would handle matters of concern if it were my family," she says.

"I have spoken extensively about the village concept because it really does take a village to raise a child. Bermuda is our child, and within it we are her children."

Her incredible ability to cope and fulfil multiple goals simultaneously goes back to her college days when, as a 21-year-old mother, she combined her studies with rearing two sons from babyhood, holding down a part-time job to pay her way, and running her household - all the while maintaining a 3.76 grade point average as a communications major.

In fact, Ms Lowe was not only named Outstanding Student of the Year, national spokesperson for the college, external vice-president for student government, but also was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the academic sorority for superior students. "Ask me now how I did it, and I'll tell you: `resilience and diligence'. Organisation and balance were the key," she says.

"I knew as a young mother that there were no guarantees in the future, so I needed to ensure that if ever there came a period in life that my children only had me as a resource, I had done everything possible to care for them."

Today, Ms Lowe still follows the same precepts. While one adult son now lives separately, the other two, aged 17 and 23, plus daughter Kayla, aged four, are at home. She is also the proud "adoptive" mother of several teenagers who are friends of her sons, and who have also been the beneficiaries of her guidance and counselling - so much so, in fact, that they became "significant entities" in her political campaign.

"They came out with me on the campaign trail as well as helping out in the back office," Ms Lowe says. "Their contributions have been excellent, and I am so proud of them. In fact, three of the four are definitely politicians in the making. "

Ms Lowe's normal day begins at 6 a.m. and finishes anywhere between midnight and 1 a.m. Raised primarily as a vegetarian, she prepares all meals from scratch using fresh ingredients and including "stacks of protein".

Nobody leaves home without a wholesome breakfast, and her mother and stepfather are often guests at the dinner table. In fact, she pays tribute to her mother as her "greatest source of support and strength when life is at its most challenging".

Her godparents, too, have been of invaluable assistance.

With her children organised for the day, Ms Lowe moves on to Atlantic Upholstery and Interiors, which she owns, there to deal with the myriad details and demands synonymous with a thriving, creative business, as well as campaigning.

Viewing her campaign in retrospect, the UBP candidate for Hamilton East readily admits that the personal sacrifice and expense has been "tremendous" in terms of family, business, time and energy, friendships or relationships.

"They have all been affected by my decision to serve the country, so I really had to work hard to keep things in balance," she says. "Without doubt someone has to take on the role of raising issues and concerns and contributing to pioneering efforts to help resolve some of the tremendous problems that the community is facing.

"Every time a politician from either party steps to the wicket this type of sacrifice is important, and I really believe that our politicians need to be supported in terms of their contributions because the sacrifice is tremendous."

With regard to her commitment as an aspiring politician, Ms Lowe says: "It is about the importance of being both behind and in front of the campaign.

"I have always been community oriented, so I am very comfortable in whatever mode I am in. I don't look above or below anyone. Each of us has different callings, and we do the best we can in our individual capacities."

In terms of her family, the devoted mother is satisfied that, throughout the gruelling campaigning process in the "killer" summer heat, she once again ensured that her children were not neglected.

More importantly, perhaps, she feels that, in spite of having only six weeks to cover her district, she completed he goals to the best of her ability. Not only did she worship at each church in her district, but also she made every effort to personally visit each constituent, often returning more than once until she made contact.

"The nature of my campaign has been to spend a lot of time in people's homes, not just for two to five minutes and then take off, just to be seen. For me it was important to allow time for constituents to be heard."

If she wins her seat in Parliament today, hard-working Ms Lowe will take the same pragmatic approach to her responsibilities as she has done with all the other commitments and responsibilities in her life.

"It will take a huge commitment, but I am prepared for that," she says. "I am a type A personality, so if I am not involved in one capacity I will be involved in another.

"My history has been community service, and I have always juggled things. I don't live any other way. While I may be busy I am also productive."

And if she loses?

"I will walk back into my office, work hard, and continue to contribute to the community at one level or another."