Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to Mondays, as they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, happy Monday – as well as happy March and happy International Women’s Week, which is always the week of March 8th (International Women’s Day – this Saturday).
This week is also national Words Matter Week. As a writer, Mom was a huge advocate regarding the importance of words and communication. She was always encouraging others to be mindful of what they say and how they say it by promoting kindness and respect in everything she wrote.
Words affect how we think, what we feel, and what we do, as well as how we socially interact with others. I remember a limerick from my childhood: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.”
The truth is, even though words can’t directly break our bones, the mental pain and anguish they can cause cuts just as deep. Words matter! They can empower or diminish others, hurt or heal, comfort or frighten, encourage or dishearten.
Mom went through some trying times with someone in St. Clair, who she thought was her friend but found out otherwise through her hurtful words. Mom became physically sick from it. Decades ago, I was married to an alcoholic who abused and belittled me relentlessly, convincing me that I was worthless. I literally wanted to die at one point. Words matter!
“GUARD WELL YOUR speech as though it were a treasure chest, for in truth it is. Your words, spoken or written, are the jewels of expression by which you communicate with your fellow beings.” – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 53)
Good, bad, or indifferent, words matter. They have cause and consequence. They can create a supportive and loving environment or an antagonistic and hostile one. Needless to say, words are also powerful – so much so that they can change the world.
They are so impactful and so important that free speech is protected under our Constitution’s First Amendment. Yet, our cancel culture is the first to demand censorship, in an attempt to “silence” words, by deliberately removing or banning them from being seen, spoken, or heard.
The internet revolutionized writing careers, as well as many other things – freelancing articles to websites (as well as magazines and newspapers), blogging, “ghostwriting” for others, or writing “copy” for websites or pages/chapters for eBooks. There are so many options because the right words matter. By the way, it’s also… Read an E-Book Week.
Even though AI can’t duplicate human feelings or emotions, it’s a great tool that can enhance creativity and written words. Empathy, intuition, and imagination are all qualities that writers have and AI lacks. However, through its use of words, AI can generate a variety of reactions from people.
According to Forbes.com, “While concerns have been raised about AI’s potential to replace human workers, that is unlikely. Writers’ ideas are indispensable and, even with AI, their future is bright. AI should not be seen as a threat, but as a partner.” (Jun 21, 2023)
Mom was a writer long before common place internet, AI, and being the Secret Recipes© DetectiveTM. She always used to say that being a writer isn’t what she did but, rather, who she was. She loved words. They were her essence, passion, and legacy. Likewise, Mom loved to mentor others who were also zealous about words and writing.
One of her students, when she was a substitute teacher, went on to be a writer and he spoke at Mom’s memorial service about the positive impact she had on him during his teen years and beyond. He accredited Mom for his becoming a writer due to the quality time she spent with him, voluntarily, encouraging and nurturing his love for words and writing.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 9). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
HI, NEIGHBOR! – BOB ALLISON’S “ASK YOUR NEIGHBOR”
ONE OF THE NICEST things about being a writer is that you can work at home. Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, as soon as my kids were out the door to the school bus, I set up my $39.95 Smith Corona portable typewriter at the kitchen table…
I was one step away from the stove, refrigerator and recipes I was curious to test and write about. The view from the kitchen table included the front yard and the North Channel of the St. Clair River (part of the St. Lawrence Seaway to everyone else) – the riverside was [called] the front yard and the roadside was the back yard.
The old house had its faults, I’ll grant you, but nobody could refuse a view like we had, living on the banks of that river! There was always something going on outside, sufficient to inspire a feeling of well-being, which every writer must have to do their job well.
In keeping with “write about what you know best”, I could put every economical recipe I used to feed my family of seven to good use, sharing the secrets with others. One of my addictions in those days was a daily recipe radio show called Ask Your Neighbor, hosted by Bob Allison over the WWJ-Detroit radio airwaves.
He always opened his two-hour show by saying, “if you have a household problem you cannot solve, then call… (and he’d give a phone number) …and ask your neighbor!” I called him frequently with answers to his other listeners’ recipe questions, until I became “a regular” on the show.
With Bob’s generous help in mentioning my monthly newsletter, my subscriptions began to climb to 300 and 400. I was finally showing a profit! That gave my husband, Paul, some relief from his skepticism that I would eventually outgrow my obsession with writing. From Bob’s listeners alone, Paul and I received over 1000 letters in one day!
IF HINDSIGHT WERE FORESIGHT, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE FOUND IN A REVIEW
Reviews are an excellent example of the effect words have on others. Whether it be for a business, product, or service; for a book, play, or movie; for a restaurant or a special dish; in general, a reviewer’s words can influence others’ choices or opinions.
The internet can make a review go viral, impacting the masses in the blink of an eye. No matter what it’s for, the evaluating words (written or spoken) can “make it or break it”. That’s what is meant by the old adage: “The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Individual reviews and ratings are often more trusted than a paid spokesperson or advertisement. Almost all consumers look at reviews as an important part of their decision-making process. We care about what others think, experience, and value. We want to know what they have to say about it.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 22)
JOURNALISM
JOURNALISM IS A peculiar profession to follow. I’ve been a serious journalist [since 1954]. I’ve worked among writers who wrote to live, while the rest of us lived to write. We had to communicate to reach out to someone with ideas, with thoughts, with reasonings and [remembrances].
Somehow, we had to make a difference, touching others with some good – like the single stone tossed into the still waters of a shimmering pond, the ripples begin, as they always do, where the stone touched the water’s surface and responded.
Around and around, until the widest circle touched the grassy edge [of the shore], again and again. While I live to write, I must consider that others do not. Writers never retire – not if they are truly writers. Editors retire. [Even] reporters retire from their work at some given point. But old writers never die, they just run out of words.
[Unfortunately, Mom ran out of words in January 2018 – but she lives on in her writings and our memories.]
No doubt, words affect our relationships and our world. Please, try to use your words wisely, whether in speaking or writing, to encourage others, to seek or give forgiveness, and/or to build relationships – just to name a few positive examples. If a picture is worth a thousand words then try to use your words to create beautiful, virtual pictures.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at [email protected]. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of March, being National Sauce Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for the “’Buddin’ Onion’ Dipping Sauce”, as seen in her self-published cookbook, Secret Make Alike Recipes – Revised (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; May 1997, p. 26). Her recipe for “The Buddin’ Onion” is already on the Recipes tab.
[NOTE: As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share any of Mom’s recipes.]
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
March observes… National Craft Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, National Caffeine Awareness Month, National Celery Month, National Flour Month, and National Women’s History Month – among other things.
Unofficially, March is also Maple Sugaring Month in Michigan. The process of making maple syrup/sugar is a craft. Making maple syrup is a big event around here, as well as in the rest of the northeast quadrant of the U.S.’s mainland, and Canada, too.
[NOTE: There’s a really great article about sugaring [which is the process of gathering maple sap and making it into sugar and/or syrup – NOT the hair-removal process by the same name] at the Michigan State University’s Extension’s website, called March is Maple Syrup Season in Michigan.]
Today is also… National Anthem Day, National Cold Cuts Day, National Mulled Wine Day, and Soup It Forward Day. Plus, (for 2025) it’s… National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day). [NOTE: if the 2nd falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it’s moved to the closest (Friday/Monday) school day.]
Tomorrow is… National Grammar Day, National Pound Cake Day, and National Sons Day. Plus, as the day before Ash Wednesday (2025), which changes annually, it’s also… Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Paczki Day, Fastnacht Day, and National Pancake Day (particularly at IHOP).
…as shared on March 4, 2024. See the Recipe tab at: https://therecipedetective.com/2024/04/08/share-a-lease-powdered-sugar-pound-cake/
March 5th is… National Cheese Doodle Day. Plus, (for 2025) it’s also… Ash Wednesday, which changes annually. [NOTE: Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday and runs for 40 days (to the Thursday before Easter).]
Thursday, March 6th, is… National Frozen Food Day, National Oreo Cookie Day, and National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day.
March 7th is… National Flapjack Day, National Be Heard Day, National Cereal Day, and National Crown of Roast Pork Day. Plus, as the first Friday in March (for 2025), it’s also National Day of Unplugging, National Dress in Blue Day, and National Employee Appreciation Day.
Saturday, March 8th, is… National Oregon Day, National Peanut Cluster Day, and National Proofreading Day.
March 9th is… National Crabmeat Day and National Meatball Day. Plus, as the second Sunday in March (for 2025), it’s also… National Daylight Saving Time Day. Additionally, it’s the start of… National Girl Scout Week [which is always the week of March 12th, National Girl Scout Day].
Have a great week!
…9 down and 43 to go!
