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.
Happy National Day of Giving Eve (for 2025). Also known as “Giving Tuesday”, this is more-or-less a 13-year-old global movement, rather than a national holiday and it’s always observed the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This is another one of those observances that promote the “Golden Rule” and carrying out acts of kindness, which should be honored every day.
Oxford Languages define giving, as an adjective, by “providing love or other emotional support; caring.” And kindness is defined simply as a “quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate” by Oxford Languages. Google’s AI adds that it’s a quality that’s “driven by a sincere desire to support others without expecting a reward.”
The purpose of National Day of Giving is meant to offset the capitalism associated with Black Friday and the growing Cyber Monday post-holiday shopping events, by inspiring and encouraging people to donate to and/or volunteer at non-profit organizations in their communities.
This is very similar to National Make A Difference Day, which we just observed a little over a month ago. Again, I must reiterate that this is another one of those celebrations we should always observe – not just on one day but on all 365 days, each year.
“I’m hard-put to come up with that one event, that singular moment when I knew that our Secret RecipesTM would touch other people; not just across the country but across the world. And, in doing so, would make a difference. That’s what really counts – doing something that will make a difference for the good of others.” – Gloria Pitzer, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989).
Mom continuously encouraged being kind to others, as well as being kind to one’s self, in everything she wrote. Giving kindness is so important to all civilizations, world-wide, that many non-profit groups have formed specifically to inspire more of it and to brand it as the “new norm”. One such group, I’ve mentioned before, is RandomActsOfKindness.org.
Their website offers a lot of true-life information and motivational stories about being kind, with examples of kindness, as well as other inspirational thoughts. Additionally, they provide positive, scientific health facts linked to performing acts of kindness. I highly recommend checking out this wonderful site.
Did you know that giving kindness is correspondingly known to energizes us? Likewise, so does receiving it. Heart health and blood pressure are known to improve with giving and/or receiving acts of kindness. It also makes us happy, which is good for mental health and empowers self-esteem. Moreover, all of that subsequently helps us live longer.
‘No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.’ – Aesop
Giving kindness makes others feel valued, among other wonderful things. Showing even the smallest amount of kindness can go a long way, as it creates a ripple effect to the “nth” degree. Kindness is contagious, “infecting” both, the giver and the receiver, in positive ways. Giving and receiving it aids physical support, emotional support, and mental support.
So many people believe that offering a little kindness to others has the potential to change lives all around the world – in more ways than one. The simple act of being kind is an essential part of an evolved and growing society that bridges any divide, such as race, religion, gender, and even politics.
October through December is known as the “season of giving”, from Halloween through Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. However, this season is also notorious for its hustle and bustle traits. It has been found that we’re less likely to give kindness if we’re in the throes of the “hustle and bustle”, as we’re so busy and, thus, in a hurry.
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!
It’s so important to slow down, even just a little bit. It only takes a few seconds of our time to make a ripple… hold a door open for someone; nod and say, “Hello”; thank the clerk who stopped their work responsibilities to help you find something; give a quick compliment to somebody you encounter or pass by; wish people a happy holiday season.
You could also help your senior neighbors by shoveling the snow off of their sidewalks and driveways; or, when in heavy traffic, let a car merge in front of you – just as you would let someone get ahead of you while in line to checkout at the grocery store.
Susan Spencer wrote a wonderful article in Reader’s Digest, called “35 Little Acts of Kindness to Brighten Someone’s Day” (updated June 17, 2025), that is so inspiring with lots of simple ideas that anyone and everyone can do in two minutes or less.
I was particularly inspired by her second idea about leaving a “Post-It” note with an affirmation or encouraging statement on a public bathroom mirror. It could also be a silly “dad joke” because you never know who might need to see those words – who might need something about which to smile or giggle. It’s well-known you can’t truly laugh without smiling.
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.]
Make a difference, however small. It hardly takes any effort or time, nor does it cost anything to be kind. There’s no doubt that words can and do affect our relationships, our communities, and societies, in general. Mom wrote about it all the time in her newsletters and cookbooks.
In between all of her famous secret recipes (food for the table), and her editorials (food for thought), she squeezed in many affirmations and words of encouragement (food for the soul). Mom wrote her cookbooks and newsletters in such a fashion that they’d be just as “at home” on the coffee table in the living room as they were on the counter in the kitchen.
This “giving season”, try to “give” words. Whether they’re spoken or written, try to use your words to encourage others, to inspire, to seek/give forgiveness, and/or to build relationships – just to name some helpful examples.
Mom always loved James Keller’s comment: “A candle loses nothing in lighting another candle.” But she had bigger aspirations and promoted being a lighthouse for others, adding: “…if you can’t be a lighthouse, be a candle.”
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain (1835-1910)
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.”
Giving kindness includes being a good listener for someone, helping a neighbor or a stranger, volunteering at a non-profit organization, making someone feel valued and appreciated, and so much more. Consequently, don’t forget to be kind to yourself, as well.
We often tend to forget, as we get caught up in doing things for others and being kind to others, that we likewise need a little TLC, ourselves. It’s not selfish at all to take a little “me time” now and then. I know that’s the kind of fuel that keeps my own flame burning so that I can be a light to someone else.
LAST THOUGHTS…
As the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (for 2025), tomorrow is… National Day of Giving. See the Crafts tab for Mom’s [Homemade] Soft Soap. Also, in honor of giving and because a reader recently requested this hard-to-find recipe of Mom’s, below is her copycat version of “Cabbage Soup”, like Unique Deli (Southfield, MI); as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Best Of The First 20 Years (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; April 1994, p. 32).
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 TODAY, being National Pie Day and National Eat a Red Apple Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Apple Pie – That’s Apple-Solutely Perfect”; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 241). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)]. 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 December observes… National Pear Month, National Write A Business Plan Month, Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Worldwide Food Service Safety Month, National Human Rights Month, Universal Human Rights Month, and more.
The first week of the month celebrates, among other things… National Cookie Cutter Week; as well as being the start of Operation Santa Paws (which runs the 1st-24th).
Today is also… Day With(out) Art Day and Rosa Parks Day. Plus, as the Monday after Thanksgiving (for 2025), it’s… Cyber Monday.
Tomorrow is… National Fritters Day, National Mutt Day, and Special Education Day.
December 3rd is… National Roof Over Your Head Day. Plus, as the Wednesday after Thanksgiving (for 2025), it’s… National Package Protection Day.
Thursday, December 4th, is… National Cookie Day, National Dice Day, and National Sock Day.
December 5th is… National Sacher Torte Day. Plus, as the first Friday in December (for 2025), it’s… Faux Fur Friday and National Bartender Day.
December 6th is… National Microwave Oven Day, National Gazpacho Day, and St. Nicholas Day. Plus, as the first Saturday of the month (for 2025), it’s… National Rhubarb Vodka Day and National Play Outside Day (which is always the first Saturday of EVERY month).
Sunday, December 7th, is… National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, National Illinois Day, and National Cotton Candy Day.
Have a great week!
…48 down, 4 to go.
