Next month I plan to feature berries since they are coming into season. I know, you can buy berries almost year round, either imported from warmer climates or in the frozen food section. But nothing beats fresh berries. When I was a bed & breakfast cook in Maine, the owner had a blackberry bush outside in her year. I used to pick fresh blackberries for breakfast. Yum!

In an earlier posting I listed Amnesty International as one of the organizations I support. This email update came to me while I was away, so hopefully you will be able to respond before Mother’s Day. I have cut and pasted the email as I received it and trust the message is strong enough for you to respond. I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by the author of The Kite Runner, Khaled Husseini, and the impact of that book compels me to print this letter from Amnesty Inetrnational, since both are about violence against women. As we celebrate Mother’s Day joyously , hopefully this message will help other mothers in need of our support.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA: Why we celebrate Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day honors women around the world who have different stories to tell.

Dear Supporter,
In India, a woman was raped while her family, including her infant daughter, was slaughtered. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bitondo Nyumba, a 56- year old mother of four, died after government soldiers attacked and raped her. The stories about violence against women never seem to end. Help stop the violence - tell your Representative to co-sponsor the International Violence against Women Act (I-VAWA).

There are two ways to support I-VAWA this Mother’s Day:

1) Email your Representative* before May 11th to tell him or her to stand up for women’s rights
2) Send a Mother’s Day card to your Representative (Copy you can use reprinted below) and a directory of where to get their address: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress, demanding an end to violence on behalf of all women around the world.

These women may never know that there is a day meant to honor them and the struggle to care for their families. Around the world, women endure violence in the home, in their communities, during armed conflict and while living as refugees or displaced persons. If these women knew that Mother’s Day existed, they would surely use it as a day for action. Send an email before May 11th to your Representative on behalf of mothers and all women around the world.

Amnesty International is pleased to announce that I-VAWA was introduced yesterday by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman. While I-VAWA continues to gain bi-partisan support in the Senate, now House Representatives must call for an end to violence against women. Tell your Representative to stand up for women living with violence. (Main website: www.amnesty.com)

Sample Letter:

Dear Representative,

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 11th. In honor of mothers everywhere, I’m calling on you to
support the International Violence against Women Act (I‐VAWA) ‐ groundbreaking legislation
that can help end violence against women around the world.
I‐VAWA improves the well‐being of women and girls by:
‐ Increasing their economic and educational opportunities
‐ Increasing the capacity of the health care sector to better address violence
‐ Increasing legal and judicial protections
‐ Changing social norms
Help make Mother’s Day a day that truly honors women!
Sincerely,

With your help, we can make this Mother’s Day mean the world to women around the world!

Sincerely,

Your Name Here

*Note: Just copy and paste this letter into an email to your congresspersons, using the website in #2 above. Thanx!