Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Acts of Kindness

In the past four, five, six weeks from listening to chaotic news from bombings, heinous murders, abductions and serious fighting in the mid-east, my mind is approaching meltdown. And I ask myself, what is to follow? Will we succumb to more horrific happenings and become immune to these horrible events. Will we shut it out, close our doors and say to ourselves, “not my problem” Dear God, I only hope not.
In my quest for a little ray of humanity, my first thought of kindness came when I remembered my late husband’s many years of helping someone in need. When he saw a car on the road with a flat tire, his concern was never for his own safety, he saw someone in need of help. No matter that he would get his clothes dirty, the driver might have ulterior motives and do him harm, he immediately offered his assistance. If a neighbor needed help with an electrical problem, even to the point of rewiring the neighbor’s entire house, they called upon his expertise. To my recollection, there was never any charge for these services and he was constantly in demand for small repair jobs.  Free gratis.
He delivered meals on wheels and placed flags on the graves of veterans each Memorial Day. This was very important to him. He gathered Toys for Tots at Christmastime and taught the little neighborhood boys how to make paper boats to skim across the water and showed them how to skim a pebble smoothly across the lake. He also taught them how to dive and water ski. It wasn’t uncommon for me to answer the door to a little tike who asked “Can Mr. Seivers come out to play?”
In my quest for the human equation to share a ray of light on good people doing good things for others, I went to Google for help. And I found the world was not totally depraved and ready to go down the toilet. I found that people still have heart and warmth. This story really touched my heart:
At a ballgame, a man noticed a little boy crying on the sidelines. When he inquired as to what the matter was, the little boy said, “someone stole my bike.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled out $350. “Take this,” he said, “and go buy yourself a new one. No boy should have to go without a bicycle.”
Another story was simplicity in itself. A young mother in a restaurant was struggling to eat her meal with a baby in her lap. Seeing her difficulty in maneuvering between bites and taking care of the baby, another customer offered to hold her baby so she could finish her meal. I’m impressed by this lady’s thoughtfulness. And to you skeptics out there, no, the lady did not run off with the baby.
 But the most heartwarming, heartbreaking acts of kindness occurred in March in the town of Jellico, TN when the whole town made it possible for Katie Norman, who was dying of bone cancer, to have the prom of her dreams. Although she was too sick to attend the regular prom, the town brought the prom to her hospital room. Her friends and family pulled together and made one little girl’s night very special. Her date presented her with a corsage and a “Prom Queen” sash. Outside, hundreds of people took to the streets for a vigil. The prom theme was “Katie in the Sky with Diamonds.” Katie died two days later.
This is proof positive of the innate goodness in people and should negate, erase, and put aside our thoughts that the world is tumbling toward total immorality. I can speak to that personally, having been the recipient of many acts of kindness during my illness. Could not and would not have made it without the support of good people.

Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake

PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1-1/4 cups original baking mix
1/2 cup reduced fat (2%) milk
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Chef Boyardee® Spaghetti & Meatballs
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup sliced turkey pepperoni

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Combine baking mix and milk in medium bowl; stir until soft dough forms.
Drop dough by spoonfuls on bottom of baking dish (will not completely cover bottom). Spoon 1 can spaghetti and meatballs over dough and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining can spaghetti and meatballs, remaining 1/4 cup cheese and pepperoni.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until dough is done in centers and browned.