October, 2006 Reflections

25 million pennies raised by American Students for Peace.

10/2006 - Afghanistan is at a crossroads, and we are firmly standing on the frontline for peace.

10/2006 - As the Americans celebrate the traditional Columbus Day honoring the discovery of a “new world,” I chose to begin my journey to Afghanistan on this holiday taking footsteps for peace in search of a “old world” where ancient wisdom prevails.

10/2006 - Continuing my 24 hour journey to Afghanistan, I finally arrived at Ariana Airlines located at Terminal 2 in Dubai.

10/2006 - The finale of our journey to Afghanistan culminated with an invitation by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan to attend the King Hussein Foundation International PEACE-BUILDERS Gala hosted in New York City.

10/31/2006 - The Roots of Peace Girls Afghan Soccer Team greeted us with bright smiles on their home turf in Karte Char!

12/12/2006 - Roots of Peace is a “humanitarian organization” which prides itself on balancing the many political landmines which challenge our ability to ground our mission—getting the landmines out of the ground!

01/09/2007 - The California sunshine beamed upon Washington, D.C. as temperatures in the seventies warmed bi-partisan support for the first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

10/2006 - It is a new day in Afghanistan, and Roots of Peace aspires to greet the sun with a walk through the vineyards of the Shomali Plains located north of Kabul.

10/2006 - Nearly an hour later, our four-wheel drive led us up a winding road riddled with divots as our bodies bounced in rapid motions. Quietly, I prayed that our tires would not bump upon an anti-tank mine, as the rains often wash away the soil in remote areas leaving the density of pressure to detonate these hidden killers of landmines that lay dormant for decades.

10/2006 - Our journey up the Shomali Plains continued north to the village of Qula Bayazid in the Bagram district. The origin of the popular Thompson Seedless Grape savored by Americans originated in this region, and it is with deep pride and a sense of reciprocity that Roots of Peace is able to restore minefields with bountiful vineyards as far as the eye can see!

10/2006 - The elders of the Qula Bayazid village were patiently awaiting our arrival and proudly gave us a tour of their newly established nursery created by Roots of Peace.

10/2006 - We continued our journey to Mir Bocha Kot in the Parwan Valley, where I had visited the previous year with ABC News Anchor Cheryl Jennings and my own daughter, Kyleigh, who was 18 years old at the time.

10/2006 - Tears welled in my eyes, as we drove up to the school to see the new Afghan sign.

10/13/2006 - It is Friday the 13th, and I have survived my walk through the minefields of Afghanistan. In Western culture, this is often thought of as an unlucky daywhen the stars line up on the thirteenth day of the month on a Friday. Yet, as I glance down at my ten toes, ankles, and knees, I feel so very fortunate and truly "lucky" to have my limbs in tact--a concept that the world takes so much for granted.

10/2006 - The moment to WALK THE TALK had come, as Shamim and I courageously stood upon the soils of Karizi Mir in the Shomali Plains located north of Kabul.

10/2006 - As we carefully followed the footsteps of our demining guide, he sincerely thanked me for the generous financial investment made by Roots of Peace which enabled the courgeous deminers to remove over 100,000 landmines and UXO's from the soils of the Shomali Plains located north of Kabul.

10/2006 - Through Roots of Peace funding for demining in Afghanistan, we had helped to remove landmines in the Parwan Canal which allowed melted snows to flow down through ancient irrigation ducts bringing water to the vineyards for thousands of years.

10/2006 - Our journey through the minefields continued, as we ventured to a landmine site where a traditional green flag marked the graves of Afghan martyrs.

10/13/2006 - Visibly shakenshaken from the sound of the blast, we stood up and wiped the dirt from our pants. Suddenly, a farmer who had lost a limb to a landmine in the region came up to thank us for helping to restore peace in his village.

10/2006 - The tremendous honor of being granted a private meeting with His Excellency President Hamid Karzai brought yet another dimension to our journey of hope for Afghanistan, as our footsteps for peace took us through The Palace gates in Kabul.

10/2006 - As I walked into the Office of the President, I was stunned by the innate beauty of the Afghan craftsmanship that decorated our surroundings for visiting dignitaries.

10/2006 - I continued to reveal my "recipe for peace" as I explained that in addition to grafting, Roots of Peace has shown farmers how to build multiplication nurseries to grow saplings from cuttings pruned off existing vines.