Authenticity. +

Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE fake flowers... (Although they do offer a rare joy to Josephine's porch -I miss my summer afternoons with this lady, God rest her soul...)
But I hate anything fake.

Authenticity is the key to Mary Kloska...

You can be nice and you can actually be kinda stressed out and mean in a moment -just 'keep it real.'

I guess the evil guy knows this, because I keep getting emails (or hacked files 'renamed' in my computer) referring to 'the fake Mary,' 'the duplicate Mary', Mary #2 or #5 or #8... Its driving me crazy Someone actually tried to call a possible employer pretending to be me the other day. Luckily she was savvy enough to figure out that 'Mary K' was not Mary Kloska. I was driving home from the beach with my Mom and nowhere near the hacked skype people at the time of the call. Please be aware if you get a strange communication from me that it probably is not me (I'm not strange, but I am unique :) )... because some of my authentic emails are being re-routed to untrustworthy (and obviously controlling) people, and junk mail is being sent instead in my name. Please continue to be patient as I try to sort through this mess of identity theft. Life was much safer when people just showed up for real conversations.

I love authenticity.
It's not a virtue in itself (something you can find in the Summa Theologica), but saints are always authentic people. I think of it this way... God created each of us to be someone (He packed gifts, virtues, allowed weaknesses, etc.,) into each of our hearts with His plan for our lives. Then He turned us over to freewill... we could choose to become who He created us to be (the perfect version of ourselves -which also is the happiest version of ourselves), or we could choose another path and He was willing to bless that (and try to make us happy in it). I decided when I was little and listening to a homily at Mass one day that if God was really God, and if He really told us to live like He instructed us in the Gospel, then that is part of who it means to be 'Mary Kloska'. If God says not to steal, to forgive, to be honest and kind -then that is what will also make me authentic. There is no room for make-up in the human heart and soul (and we should live from our hearts). Before God, we are all just really who we are. And humanity is best and happiest when we try to be truly authentic before each other as well. I had a priest who once told me 'Just be who you are, Mary, and that is enough for Jesus. Be who you are, where you are.' He was saying that living with God in the Present Moment where He has me and doing this well is all it takes to be the unique saint He created me to be. So, the lesson of today is 'Be Authentic.' And if you make a mistake, instead of trying to cover it up -be authentically, honestly sorry and get concrete mercy from the Lord because you behaved that way. This is an easy key to holiness -and God will bear incredible fruit through you simply if you are who He made you to be. St. Catherine of Sienna said:

Just be authentic. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Mirriam-Webster defines 'authentic' like this:

Definition of authentic

1a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact 

• paints an authenticpicture of our society

b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features 

• an authenticreproduction of a colonial farmhouse

c : made or done the same way as an original 

• authentic Mexican fare

2: not false or imitation : real, actual 

• an authentic cockney accent

3: true to one's own personality, spirit, or character 

• is sincere and authentic with no pretensions