Happy International Women's Day 2014

"Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world"

Hillary Clinton

I took this on my trip to China for a medical/humanitarian mission.

If we take the time to invest in the girls around the world, we can truly make the world a better place. Join me in supporting Girl Rising.

How are you helping the world?

Woven Words

For those that know me, you probably realize by now that I love to write, be it poetry.....blog posts....and even children's books ~ (I self-published one....my friends & family all liked it....although I hope it wasn't out of pity....)

I have decided to take this passion for poetry and writing to add another feature post to my blog. Here on Woven Words, I will post my attempts at poetry. I have decided to keep the style of poetry open so that I can try my hand at various things....branch out and explore....see where it leads me.

Today's poem falls under the style of Found Poetry. I was inspired to write this in order to do my little part in helping out a cause that I believe in.

Please click on the poem to view in larger screen.

Malala by Jules

Inspiration:

I mentioned Malala a few weeks back right before I went to see the screening for Girl Rising.

Her story, as well as stories of other girls that were depicted in Girl Rising, has made me that much more aware of the pressing issues surrounding the need to educate and help women and girls around the world. Right at this moment the United Nations is working with Johnson & Johnson, The Huffington Post, Baby Center and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to inspire people to help improve the lives of  mothers and their children.

I decided to write this poem using the words of Alyse Nelson in her article that she wrote as part of the Global Mom Relay. If you get a chance, please click on her name and read her post and help by sharing her article.

We can all be an agent for change by doing one simple act.....all you have to do is share a Relay Post on Facebook, Twitter or Email. Or, if you want, donate $5 or more.

For every share or donation, up to $8000 per day or $500,000 total will be donated by Johnson & Johnson and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to one of the various programs that are currently established to help women and children around the world. These include initiatives such as Girl Up, Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA), Shot@Life campaign and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.

Learn more here:  UN Foundation site for Global Mom Relay

I hope you enjoyed my poem!

Three for Me

This past weekend, after the snowfall, the weather started to warm up....the birds started chirping and the sun was peaking out to say hello.

That was when my best friend and I hopped on the ferry and headed off to New York City to watch Girl Rising. Although the movie was showing later on in the day, we decided to go in early so that we could do a little shopping in SoHo...shhhh, don't tell the hubby.....Unfortunately for us, we left the stores empty handed. Anyway, despite the frozen toes and fingers we had a good time.

The Three for Me this week are:

1. My Best-est Friend: Rita. Okay....I know that this is going to sound like a dating channel, but it's all true.....Rita is a beautiful, fun loving and passionate woman. She loves street art, painting, music and dancing (my partner in crime when we go clubbing). She has been beside me through thick and thin and we have shared many tears and laughter together. She is very near and dear to my heart and I honestly don't know what I would ever do without her. Sure....we have not always seen eye to eye on things and we have had our little moments, but she has stood by me through it all, even when I'm the one who messes up. I love ya!

Here we are after a Maroon 5 concert last year
We tried to get a nice photo of us this weekend,
but they were all out of focus! :(

2. Strand Book Store  I love this place! Rita and I came across it quite by accident. We darted into this corner bookstore in search of warmth and were immediately transported into a different world. I was in awe. The towering shelves full of books, both old and new, stood proudly and majestically in front of me. Rows and rows of bookshelves juxtaposed in a quirky and deliberate manner entices you to wander through the labyrinth of books.... one could get lost in here forever.....I wish I could have stayed there all day.

If you haven't been there yet, definitely make the trip.... I can't wait to go back!

3. Girl Rising. This was the reason we ventured into the city this past weekend. I mentioned this film in a previous post called Girl Rising....Girl Power, but just to give you a quick synopsis, this film was made to bring awareness to everyone on the importance of educating girls throughout the world. The stories were very moving and made me realize how very luck I am. I strongly believe in their cause and it is my plan to take action. I will definitely keep you updated as I move forward. Have you seen this? If so, what did you think?

Thank you so much for reading and letting me share my Three for Me with you.....Now, it's your turn.

What are three things that made your weekend special? Do you know of a hidden garden somewhere in the big city? Who do you share your moments with? Is there an organization that you are passionate about?

Girl Rising .... Girl Power

Malala Yousafzai - 11 years old

I remember the day when 15 year old Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban. The news of her assassination attempt was shocking. And the eyes of the world turned towards Pakistan.

Malala, who was just nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, (the youngest to ever be nominated) is an inspiration to me and to many women and children around the world. Unfortunately, hers is not an unfamiliar story, and it's time we open our eyes and help.

You may have heard about the film Girl Rising on the news or through other social media channels. If you haven't, please hop over to www.10x10act.org to learn more about this film and about the  campaign to educate girls around the world.

"10x10 is a campaign to reach global audiences and inspire individuals to take action for girls."

Did you watch the trailer above or did you just skip it? Tell the truth...... If you skipped it, stop right here and click on the play button. I promise you it will be enlightening.

Also, if you want to read more, I found Clifford Potter's post from the Huffington Post very insightful.

Girl Rising, directed by Richard Robbins, will be showing for one week starting today March 7th - 15th. Grab your daughters* and girl friends and make it a day in the city.

Don't miss it!!

I've got my tickets....Do you?

You can find out where it is screening by visiting http://10x10act.org/girl-rising/ and typing in your zip code.

Here's to girls all around the world struggling to make a better life for themselves and for their families....here's to girl power.....here's to Girl Rising!

* it is not officially rated, but should be good for PG-13 or lower, as per their site