As always, thank God it’s Monday, again, because I look forward to all Mondays. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, I hope this brings you a happy Monday.
Today is, among other things, National Love is Kind Day. According to Google AI, this day is “dedicated to celebrating the freedom and independence of domestic violence and abuse survivors, while promoting kindness as the foundation for healthy relationships.”
This day is personal to me, as more than 30 years ago, I gathered the courage (with the help of a friend) to leave my abusive husband and our 13-year marriage. She helped me recognize that his claims of love were empty words meant to control me and my life. Afterward, I found someone (through that same friend) who taught me what real love was like.
Love really is kind and more. In fact, it’s innumerable things. As the famously known passage from I Corinthians:13 describes it, “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” Whether you’re religious or not, when it comes to love, that’s just universally true.
Additionally, as Andy Williams sang, “Love is a many-splendored thing.” That was also the title of Mom’s favorite 1955 romance film. It’s so important to know that real love does not and will not ever physically hurt us. It’s also important to know, understand, and believe that we’re all deserving of love and that LOVE IS KIND – AND MORE.
Real love is one of those things that we should celebrate and practice and teach to others, every day. Mom always interchanged the words Love and God, as they were one and the same to her – and all encompassing. She believed that there’s never any room for violence and abuse, when Love is ever-present.
They say, “love makes the world go ‘round” – actually, love simply makes life on this spinning marble continuous and everlasting. Always know that love is kind and kindness is love. But it’s even more than that.
BestDailyPrayer.org says (of “love is kind”), “It is polite to others, honest, and truthful. It does not like evil but stands for righteousness. It has faith in people, never considers others to be lost causes, and is ready to be patient with them and endure all hardships until they come ‘round. It is the greatest command God gave to us, to love others.” (Aug 3, 2022)
The Greeks believed that the goddess, Aphrodite, represented love but Mom always believed that God is Love and Love is God. To Mom, they were synonymous, equal, identical and interchangeable. In other words, they’re one and the same.
“If you don’t think it takes learning or skill to varnish a complex-of-disorder with enough love and efficiency that husbands and children grow up with security and comfort, drop around my kitchen some Sunday night…” – Gloria Pitzer, “Just A Housewife And A Pro!”, No Laughing Matter (circa 1970s).
Mom wrote about love (and kindness) in all of her books and newsletters. Even earlier, in her syndicated columns (like No Laughing Matter”), she’d insert pearls of wisdom about love and kindness. She loved to promote both, starting in the home, with the family, then spreading out into the neighborhood, town, state and so on. Love is borderless.
Love and kindness were very important to her, as well as to Dad and each of their parents and many more generations before them. They were all raised by and lived by “The Golden Rule”, which is basically a moral principle, encouraging us to treat others as we would like to be treated – with love, respect, and kindness.
In fact, receiving love and kindness makes people feel valued. Showing even the smallest amount can go a long way. According to Aesop (an ancient Greek fables author), “No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” The same can be said for love.
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. 11)
CARING & LOVING
EVEN IN MY WRITINGS, I am quick to talk about caring and loving, because [it seems] we just don’t have enough of it. [I am] anxious to convey, through my writings, the real need to care about each other and to keep on caring, even when it [appears] to be useless and without the love being returned.
One quote that I have enjoyed sharing with my readers on this subject, which is unrelated to food for the table but very much a part of the FOOD FOR THOUGHT that I include in all of my writings, was something that I heard at a lecture years ago.
The [speaker] advised [us] that sometimes we must love people, even when we DON’T want to, until we DO want to, in order to feel the full effects of that love.
MentalHealth.org.uk’s “Kindness Matters Guide” says, “acts of kindness [or love] can make the world a happier place for everyone. They can boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism… [They can] encourage others to repeat the good deeds they’ve experienced themselves – contributing to a more positive community.”
Many people believe that love and kindness have the potential to change the whole world. They are an essential part of evolving societies that bridge the divides of race, religion, gender, and other such things. I can’t say it enough – love and kindness should be practiced EVERY day.
Having many physical and mental health benefits, love and kindness are well-known to change lives – not only for the receivers but also for the givers – empowering energy and self-esteem and making us happier, which are all good for our blood pressure and heart health. Love and kindness also contribute to overall feelings of goodwill and positivity.
Additionally, as Mom would’ve said, “giving love and kindness to others should be done without expectations of reciprocations of gratitude. It is through these acts of kindness and the giving of our hearts that we receive back our own true gift – one that has unmeasurable value – LOVE.”
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. 92)
GOING IT ALONE
ONE OF THE BLESSINGS of being your own boss is that you can enjoy the freedom of discussing…subjects in your own publication, where you wouldn’t dear if someone else were publishing it, and you were subject to total agreement between you and them over all material published.
PEOPLE EXPECT US TO BE BETTER
Whenever somebody has mentioned to me that they are surprised that the newsletter or the recipe books include non-recipe material, I usually replied, ‘I’m surprised that you’re surprised!’
Food for the table and food for thought should, and often do, go hand-in-hand. In our publications there will always be room for the kind of material that is humorous and uplifting – as the case may be. I respond easily to the unusual, if it has a beneficial influence on others and find it a joy to share such information.
The response is always encouraging. I am still hearing good comments on the little book we sent out in the fall of 1988, entitled “Good Thoughts And Things To Smile About”, which we did not sell, but GAVE to those people we felt we should express appreciation for their kindness and attention either to our work or to our family.
The little acts of overcoming the annoyance, impatience, indifference, apathy, that sometimes seem to be so much a part of our day – can make an enormous difference in the quality of our lives.
This may not always seem easy, but each false tendency can be detected and rejected because it is wholly without foundation. Genuine love, caring, alertness and patience replace annoyance, indifference, apathy and impatience.
Mom wrote often on the subjects of love and marriage. She even drew a few cartoon panels regarding them, too. One of Mom’s quotes about marriage can be found, in part (as pictured above), at WiseFamousQuotes.com – the complete quote is…
“Good marriages are made in heaven, or so it may seem. But, if that’s the case, a lot of the details will have to be worked out, right here, on earth. If good marriages are, indeed, made in heaven – where are all the bad ones made…? Of course, good marriages are made right here, on Earth, by ordinary mortals, like us; and it’s no help to think otherwise.” – Gloria Pitzer, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 11)
Incidentally, Saturday is… Respect for Parents Day and I have A LOT of respect for mine – maybe not so much when I was a rebellious teenager but I eventually matured and learned better, especially after I had kids of my own. My parents were actually great role models for me and my husband to replicate.
Marriage is truly a commitment in which two compatible people promise each other “to be faithful…to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part”… as the standard, civil marriage vows commonly recite.
Compatibility, forgiveness, communication and love are probably the top foremost qualities required for the success of a marriage. Throughout the years, Mom and Dad’s marriage was tested in more ways than one but it survived and prospered because of these qualities.
After Dad retired from the sign company, in 1976, to help Mom manage the business side of their family enterprise (so she could concentrate on the creative side of it), they spent almost every single day together, 24/7, withstanding all the tests… for the rest of their lives… Not until death did they part but now they’re happily together, again, forever.
AGAIN, MORE FROM MOM’S RECIPES
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 303). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]
FOODS FOR THOUGHT…
A RECIPE FOR LIFE
TAKE YOURSELF;
Peel off all layers of egotism and self-pity,
Cut out all seeds of unkind thoughts and
All unhappy emotions.
Remove all prejudices and worries.
To this add:
One firm belief that life is worth living.
Mix well with one practical idea that you are somebody!
Season with a sense of humor and optimism;
Sweeten with love.
Then add one strong determination
To live at your highest, every hour of the day,
Come what will.
Garnish with smiles and pleasant words.
Serve with [kindness,] gentleness and courage.
Note the effect!
[GOD’S GIFTS]
GOD GIVES JOY that we may give;
He gives us [love] that we may share;
Sometimes he gives us loads to lift
That we may learn to bear.
For life is gladder when we give,
And love is sweeter when we share,
And heavy loads rest lightly, too,
When we have learned to bear.
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. I look forward to hearing from you!
IN CLOSING…
In honor of July, being National Ice Cream Month AND National Peach Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Basket & Ribbons Peach Ice Cream” [like Baskin-Robbins]; as seen in her self-published cookbook, Yup! That’s the Flavor! (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; May 1998, 1st Printing; p. 12). 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 July observes… National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Horseradish Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Independent Retailer Month, National Blueberry Month, National Picnic Month, and more.
Other celebrations continuing this week include… The Dog Days of Summer, which runs July 3rd to August 11th.
Today is also… National Scotch Day, National Crème Brûlée Day, and National New Jersey Day.
Tomorrow is… National Milk Chocolate Day.
Wednesday, July 29th, is… National Lasagna Day and National Chicken Wing Day.
July 30th is… National Cheesecake Day and National Father-in-Law Day. Plus, as the last Thursday in July (for 2026), it’s also… National Chili Dog Day.
Friday, July 31st, is… National Avocado Day, National Raspberry Cake Day , and National Mutt Day.
Saturday kicks off August, which observes… National Dog Month, Family Fun Month, Happiness Happens Month, International Peace Month, National Brownies at Brunch Month, National Catfish Month, National Goat Cheese Month, National Panini Month, National Sandwich Month, and more.
Aug. 1st is also… National Raspberry Cream Pie Day and National Girlfriends Day. Plus, as the first Saturday of the month (for 2026), it’s also… National Play Outside Day (which is the first Saturday of EVERY month); as well as National Jamaican Patty Day, National Mustard Day, and Mead Day. Additionally, [for 2026] it’s also the start of.. Twins Days, which is always the first full weekend (Saturday-Sunday) in August.
August 2nd is… National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. Plus, as the first Sunday in August (for 2026), it’s also… American Family Day, National Friendship Day, and National Sisters Day. Additionally, as the start of the first full week in August (for 2026), it’s… International Clown Week, Simplify Your Life Week, and National Farmers Market Week.
Have a great week!
…30 down and 22 to go.
