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. Sunny skies were forecasted ahead for our nation by taxi drivers, receptionists, and stoic security guards, as they reviewed my credentials from the San Francisco Bay Area with great enthusiasm! “This is an historic moment, for Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years,” Pelosi proclaimed, to a roaring ovation in the packed House chamber.

Prior to the historic passing of the gavel, there was a private reception hosted in the Library of Congress in the prestigious Jefferson Room where portraits of ancient women at the helm ordained the mantle of the marble fireplace—foreshadowing the moments which lay ahead. With a reputation for standing gracefully firm and working notoriously hard, Nancy stood only a few feet away with her husband, children, and grandchildren firmly by her side—it was a site to behold. As Nancy spoke of her journey from “The Kitchen to Congress,” I reflected upon my own journey from “The Basement to the Beltway” which has empowered us to take “San Francisco values” to the heart our nations’ capitol with a grounded vision for waging peace in war-torn regions by turning “seeds of terror into seeds of hope.”

The convergence of circumstances which led to this moment began with the “launch” of the vision for Roots of Peace in April 1998, as Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Mrs. Kofi Annan joined me at The World Trade Club with a host of hundreds of women whom I gathered to continue the quest to remove landmines from our one earth--the skin of Mother nature. In May 1999, Nancy and Paul Pelosi continued to support our efforts, and attended our private VIP dinner hosted by Robert and Margit Mondavi in Napa Valley—a evening which raised over $30,000 to begin our first Roots of Peace project in Dragalic, Croatia. The U.S. Department of State and CROMAC matched these funds and the project ultimately was valued at $120,000.

As the years rolled by, Nancy continued to support our efforts through a dear mutual friend, Erika Hills (co-owner of Grgich Hills Cellar) who hosted Hermès of Paris luncheons to benefit the efforts of Roots of Peace. En route to a luncheon together on August 17, 2005 to hear about our recent travels to Afghanistan, Erika was tragically killed in an accident where 5 tons of metal flew across the panoramic Silverado Trail—an ironic twist of fate as she was deeply concerned for my safety along the mine-riddled roads of Kabul. Solemnly, we sat next to one another for Erika’s funeral, as Nancy is the type of woman who knows her priorities and weighs the value of friendship and family at the highest echelon.

Now, as I gazed at Nancy’s gracious demeanor with a global sense of “awe,” her words resonated with truth as she stated, “Today we change the direction of our country. We will restore civility, integrity, and fiscal responsibility.” As the 100 legislative hours focus on mitigating the $350 billion in damage to Iraq and the death of over 3,000 brave American troops, I truly hope that Nancy will continue her leadership role by converting “swords into plowshares” in Afghanistan—creating an army of peacebuilders from the bottom up, as we vowed in our initial MINES TO VINES global toast to peace in 1998.

Armed with shovels and plows, Afghan farmers may transform this pivitol “country in transition” back to its’ original namesake—The Garden of Central Asia. Congressional dollars may be appropriated towards sustainable agriculture, as we replicate the Roots of Peace model where over 10,000 Afghan farmers have been trained to grow grapes and over 100 metric tons of fresh fruits and vegetables have been exported to India, UAE, Pakistan, Ukraine, Germany and Russia. While Iraq continues to be a quagmire, there is a “window of opportunity” to win the war on terrorism in Afghanistan—with an army of farmers harvesting and exporting healthy crops!