Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to every Monday. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, have a happy Monday.
It’s the last week of August (the 25th to 31st), which always observes Be Kind to Humankind Week. Some call it the week of “The Golden Rule”, which is a basic moral principle for society to treat each other as they would want to be treated, themselves – with kindness.
By the way, according to Wikipedia.org, the term, “Golden Rule”, came about “because there is VALUE in having this kind of respect and caring attitude for one another.”
This week also observes several days in relation to being kind to each other, such as today’s National Kiss and Make Up Day, Wednesday’s National Just Because Day, and Thursday’s National Thoughtful Day. Not to mention, last Friday was National Be An Angel Day, which is practically synonymous with being kind.
I remember when I was young, while visiting my grandparents (Mom’s parents), hearing stories from my grandma about how there were always angels among us, every day, right here on Earth. They did many kind things for others, usually anonymously. For many decades, Mom and I had a special connection related to angels.
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Being kind to humankind is another one of those things that everyone should observe, practice, and celebrate every day of every week of every year. I love the song, in which Tim McGraw sings: “Always be humble and kind.” Nations have grown vastly from being kind to humankind (and, likewise, have also been destroyed from the opposite).
While kindness doesn’t really make the world go ‘round (that’s a gravitational thing), it does make the ride so much more enjoyable and it doesn’t cost anything to be kind. It is truly an essential part of society, bridging the divides of race, religion, gender, and other such things – even politics.
This is an excellent week to celebrate kindness, especially with all of the political upheaval going on in our country, as well as in others around the world. We really need to promote being kind to humankind, more now than ever.
“THE GREATEST WASTE in the world is the difference between what we are, and what we could be!” – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 10)
For centuries, most people have been taught to be kind to others since they were toddlers. It’s a shame that the simple act of being kind to someone is forgotten so easily and by so many after kindergarten. If a young child can understand its importance in society, why can’t the rest of us?
According to Wikipedia’s interpretation of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Fulghum “explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children, i.e. sharing, being kind to one another, cleaning up after themselves, and living ‘a balanced life’ of work, play, and learning.”
Many others have thought this way, as well. One particular group has developed a non-profit organization, which has its own website at RandomActsOfKindness.org. I love that this group promotes making kindness “the norm”. The website offers a lot of inspirational stories and kindness ideas.
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. 2)
WHY CAN’T WE ALL GET ALONG?
IF I COULD HAVE my way, the whole world would be friends; but then, it is an unrealistic hope, considering the course of human events and behaviors. We can’t even find friends within the same family, most of the time…
I have met some of the nicest people in the world, [and] some of the most generous people who want to share their good ideas with me as much as I want to share mine with them. Of these good people, I will speak often and lovingly.
Having come from a somewhat lonely childhood and years of struggling to overcome the emptiness of indifference from relatives to whom I had spent, what seemed like an eternity, trying to reach out…
I, now, continue to emphasize, in my own publications [and] throughout my books, the importance of caring – of REALLY caring about each other.
“…Probably nothing that you couldn’t [or wouldn’t] attempt, now, without a reasonable chance of success. But, by removing the risk you might attempt things that were a bit more daring or slightly more challenging.” – Gloria Pitzer (1936-2018)
Mom was a big advocate for being kind to humankind. She would often question why we all couldn’t just get along. “After all”, she would say, “we’re all God’s children.” To myself (NEVER out loud), I would sarcastically whisper, in reply: “Wouldn’t that be sibling rivalry then?”
Mom really tried to be a positive example, lifting up others through her radio interviews and her writings – from her food-for-thought columns (that were syndicated throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s) to her hundreds of self-published newsletters (1974 through 2000) and her many dozens of self-published cookbooks (1973 through 2018).
Mom even wrote a few books dedicated strictly to her food-for-thought editorials and inspirational ideas. Mom always emphasized the importance of really caring about each other, advocating being kind and loving. She held a strong faith in “Love” and all the things it could overcome and yield. Mom would often inter-change the words “Love” and “God”.
MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes & Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, p. 111)
IT’S NICE TO BE NICE
NICE PEOPLE ARE happy people. They don’t go around advising others, however, on how to be nice or find happiness because they’re too busy being what they are. They secure their right to contentment by refusing to be discouraged by cynics or bullied by skeptics.
The nicest people I know are always those who have no personal cause for being nice, except that they are! They are running for office or looking for new customers for their business or shops. Their normal exposure to moods of misery are abbreviated experiences that prompt them to remove the reason rather than dwell on it.
They find life a challenge and every day an opportunity to turn over a new leaf in their calendar of discoveries. Some folks, however, behave as if they really enjoyed misery. It’s not that they actually want to be miserable, but that they don’t know what to do to overcome it.
And when they do know what to do to change their situation, they’re the kind of people who usually need a little push to get going. After all, misery is but a temporary substitute for happiness, a copout for their refusal to be nice, their reluctance to be happy with the moments, rather than look for it in the forever’s of their lives!
“My favorite daily newspaper in Boston has the slogan, ‘to bless all mankind and injure no man’. That is how I would want to write my own publications.” – Gloria Pitzer, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 86)
Mom also wrote, as seen in her self-published newsletter, Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes Newsletter, (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI: Jan-Feb 1988, Issue 130; p. 8):
“Being able to get a handle on life by not letting it get the best of us, when the lemons outweigh the levity in our relationships, is a recipe worth having.
Resolving the problems with recipes in the kitchen is something we’re all willing to accept, because cooking is an individual and very personal experience – a creative challenge for some, a positive involvement for others.
Yet we accept the risk of failing at what we attempt with foods, more readily than we will with our relationships with other people. It’s a puzzle to me that we are willing to endure such a paradox that we’ll put more effort into the table we set than into the examples we set…”
“Happy is the person who has a good supply of the milk of human kindness and knows how to keep it from souring.” – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 17)
Additionally, at WisdomQuotes.com you’ll find “440 Kindness Quotes That Will Make You A Better Person” – which is more than enough ideas to employ, using at least one every day for the rest of the year. Practice makes perfect – it also creates habits, which then become natural reflexes.
Being kind to others yields various types of benefits. The Science of Kindness has proven that there are physical and mental health benefits in being kind. Many psychiatrists concur that some mental health benefits include empowering our personal energy and self-esteem. Being kind makes us happy. That’s good for our hearts and helps us live longer.
“Greatness is measured by kindness – education and intellect, by modesty – ignorance is betrayed by suspicion and prejudices – real worth is measured by consideration and tolerance of others.” – B.C. Forbes
Aesop said: “No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” In other words, a culture of kindness can create a positive ripple effect, like a stone tossed into a still pond – physically, mentally, emotionally – from which everyone can benefit. There are no losers.
Kindness helps people feel valued. Showing even the smallest amount of kindness can go a long way. Kindness has the potential to change the world. Its contagiousness and often sets off a pay-it-forward ripple effect. Subsequently, I want to encourage everyone to spread kindness every day. Toss a stone and be a ripple – from shore to shore.
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 therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of August, being National Sandwich Month, and Saturday, being International Bacon Day, according to Bacon.Fandom.com (and others), here’s Mom’s secret recipe for “Oven-Baked Bacon” sandwich filling; as seen in her self-published cookbook, Sugar-Free Recipes (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1987, p. 74).
[NOTE: As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.]
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
August observes… National Dog Month, Get Ready For Kindergarten Month, International Peace Month, National Back to School Month, National Brownies at Brunch Month, National Catfish Month, National Crayon Collection Month, National Goat Cheese Month, National Golf Month, National Panini Month, and Romance Awareness Month.
Today is also… National Park Service Founders Day, National Whiskey Sour Day, National Secondhand Wardrobe Day, and National Banana Split Day.
Tomorrow is… National Dog Day, National Women’s Equality Day, and National Cherry Popsicle Day.
Wednesday, August 27th, is… National Pots De Creme Day.
Thursday, August 28th, is… National Red Wine Day, and National Cherry Turnovers Day.
Friday, August 29th, is… National Chop Suey Day and National Lemon Juice Day.
Saturday, August 30th, is… National Toasted Marshmallow Day, National Grief Awareness Day, and National Beach Day.
August 31st is… National South Carolina Day and National Trail Mix Day.
Have a great week – and, as Tim McGraw sings, “Always stay humble and kind!”
…34 down and 18 to go!
