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 all of you. Therefore, happy Monday.
This week (for 2025) celebrates, among other things… World Kindness Week, which is always the week of November 13th – World Kindness Day (this Thursday). Once again, though, kindness is the kind of thing we should celebrate and put into practice every day – not just one day and not just for a week but always.
As Louis Armstrong famously sang, “I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘How do you do?’ They’re really saying, ‘I love you… And I think to myself, ‘What a wonderful world…’” It’s simple acts of kindness like that – or just a smile and nod, or holding a door open for someone, or giving a few words of appreciation – all of which make this world very wonderful.
Similarly, Random Acts of Kindness Week and National Random Acts of Kindness Day are celebrated in February. As I wrote earlier this year for those observances:
Kindness is so important to our civilization that many groups have formed specifically to encourage it more and make it the “new norm”. Mom always promoted the “Golden Rule” and being kind to others, as well as being kind to yourself, in everything she wrote.
RandomActsOfKindness.org promotes making selfless acts of kindness “the norm”. They offer a lot of factual information and motivational stories about being kind, examples of kindness, and other inspirations. They also provide positive, scientific health facts linked to kindness. Check out this wonderful website.
Kindness is known to energizes us through giving it as well as receiving it. Heart health and blood pressure also improve with giving and/or receiving acts of kindness, which also helps us live longer. It also makes us happy, which is good for our mental health and empowers self-esteem.
“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)
Kindness is, in part, genetically inherited (perhaps as much as 30 to 60 percent). It is also a learned behavior from our upbringing, life experiences, and personal choices. Therefore, we are predisposed to being kind but we can also increase our ability for kindness as we grow and mature.
Kindness begets kindness and there can never be too much kindness. Mom was a big advocate for being kind to humankind, on a daily basis. She wrote about it in all of her newsletters and cookbooks. She often begged the question, “Why can’t we all get along?” Many times she’d add, “after all, we’re all God’s children.”
To myself (NEVER-EVER out loud), I would sarcastically think, “Isn’t that (when people don’t get along) what is called ‘sibling rivalry’?” I don’t know if Mom (or Dad) would’ve seen the humor in it, if I had said that out loud, or if I would’ve gotten in trouble for being impudent.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes & Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, p. 15)
[THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN]
I HAVE A DESK in the kitchen right next to the [glass] door-wall that overlooks the yard. Our daughter, Debbie, and our son-in-law, Jim, gave me a flowering Crab [Apple] tree last Mother’s Day, which they planted right in the middle of the yard.
I can enjoy it’s flowers each spring; also the very long bare, red branches during the autumn and it’s snow-covered limbs all winter. It’s my sundial, by which I observe the seasons and the changes involved with this natural wonder.
While the Scotch pines around this little tree never change, never go through the transition of bud to blossom to barren branches and then buds again, I can see the contrasts that are parallel to our own personal predicaments.
Some things, places – and yes, even people – never seem to change, while others go through budding and blossoming and withering away, only to come right back to life again in the sunshine of human kindness as does my tree in the sunshine of the seasons.
I’ve spent my entire life being a writer. It’s not what I do, but what I am. I love every minute of it, and by writing about what I have come to know best – cooking – it occurs to me that having a desk in my kitchen was awfully appropriate.
Mind you, not all that crazy about cooking, by default rather than decision, I have learned more about it than any other skill I’ve attempted… THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN, some new information, interesting discoveries to make cooking a positive pursuit.
‘No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.’ – Aesop
Did you know researchers have found that we are less likely to show others kindness when we’re busy and in a hurry? Thus, we need to slow down a bit. Especially as we approach the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays, this is particularly important to keep in mind now.
Acts of kindness involve physical support, emotional support, and/or mental support; which also include making someone laugh, being a good listener for someone, helping a neighbor, and/or volunteering at a non-profit organization.
It’s additionally important to remember to be kind to yourself, as well. Many of us often forget, as we get caught up in doing things for others and being kind to others, that we likewise need a little TLC, ourselves. I know that’s the fuel that keeps my own flame burning.
According to SSMHealth.com, there are three core qualities of kindness: “being considerate, helpful, and thoughtful… People who have these qualities improve the lives of those around them and, in general, enjoy better health due to the biological changes that occur while being kind.”
Even the simplest acts of kindness can help us feel valued, among so many other wonderful rewards and benefits. Showing even the smallest amount of kindness to just one person can go a long way, effecting a multitude of others.
Kindness, like happiness and/or a smile, is contagious. It effects both the giver and the receiver, in a variety of positive ways. The littlest act of kindness can have just as much of a ripple effect as a grand act of kindness, to the “nth” degree, for those who receive it and similarly reciprocate.
Many believe that acts of kindness have the potential to change lives, world-wide, in a whole host of ways. Acts of kindness are an essential part of an evolved and growing community and society that bridges divides like race, religion, gender, and even politics.
Additionally, kindness creates happiness and, like Mom, I truly believe that happiness, in turn, generates kindness. And the results include positive physical and mental health benefits. The Science Of Kindness claims, it… “Fuels personal energy and self-esteem… Makes you happier… [Is] good for your heart… [And] helps you live longer…”
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. 61)
THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF GOOD
WHENEVER OUR BEST intentions are carried out for the good of all concerned, only good can result. How could good possibly produce something bad? It’s often just the still small voice of wisdom that turns us in the right direction.
When it does, how silly it is of us to give credit to coincidence or chance. The purpose of something good is, of course, to bless, to enrich and to comfort and why, then, does even knowing this makes so many folks feel uncomfortable?
Having more doesn’t necessarily make us better-off, and most people limit their definition of good to an increase in more THINGS. Sometimes the good is not material, nor the least bit tangible, but instead is a feeling – a comforting and reassuring confidence – that, yes, everything can be all right, after all!
AGAIN, MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 30)
MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY
HAVE YOU EVER HAD your day suddenly turn sunshiny because of a cheerful word? Have you ever wondered if this could be the same world because someone had been unexpectedly kind to you. You can make today [that way] for somebody! It’s only a question of a little imagination, a little time and trouble. Think now, ‘What can I do today, to make someone happy?’
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the one whose hopes were fading, now with courage, look ahead?
Do you waste the day or lose it? Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,
‘You have earned one more tomorrow, by the work you did today.’?
LAST THOUGHTS…
As I’ve done, previously, for celebrations like this week, I want to pass along this timeless “7-Day Kindness Challenge” to all of you. It comes from an article on StarTribune.com, called Why Being Kind Makes You Healthier, by Chrystle Fiedler (July 24, 2019):
“Try the seven-day kindness challenge: That means, do at least one act of kindness every day for seven days. Ground rules: Do something different each day; push yourself out of your comfort zone at least once and be sure one of your acts of kindness is anonymous – no one should ever find out who did it.”
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 November, being National Fun with Fondue Month, here’s Mom’s quick and simple secret recipe for “Fruit Fondue” – perfect for the up-coming holidays – as seen in her self-published newsletter, Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipe Report (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1981, p. 9). It was part of her “Eater’s Digest” series.
[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…
The month of November observes… Banana Pudding Lovers Month, National Diabetes Month, National Family Stories Month, National Gratitude Month, National Inspirational Role Models Month, National Life Writing Month, National Native American Heritage Month, National Novel Writing Month, National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, National Pepper Month, National Pomegranate Month, National Raisin Bread Month, National Roasting Month, Spinach and Squash Month, Sweet Potato Awareness Month (also in February), National Vegan Month, and more.
Today is also… U.S. Marine Corps Birthday, National Forget-Me-Not Day, and National Vanilla Cupcake Day.
Tomorrow is… National Sundae Day and Veterans Day.
Wednesday, November 12th, is… National French Dip Day, National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day, and National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day.
Thursday, November 13th, is also… National Indian Pudding Day.
Friday, November 14th, is… National Family PJ Day, National Pickle Day, and National Spicy Guacamole Day.
[NOTE: Nov. 14th is also the anniversary of Mom’s very first TV appearance (in 1974), as the Recipe DetectiveTM, which was on “AM Detroit”; with host Dennis Wholley (WXYZ-TV; Channel 7, Detroit).]
Saturday, November 15th, is… National Bundt (Pan) Day, National Philanthropy Day, National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, National Spicy Hermit Cookie Day, National Raisin Bran Cereal Day, and America Recycles Day.
Sunday, November 16th, is… National Fast Food Day, National Button Day, and National Indiana Day. Plus (for 2025), it’s also the start of… National Book Award Week, which is always the week before Thanksgiving.
Have a great week!
…45 down and only 7 more to go.
