Mom Tonneman

We lost Margy's mom last night. She passed on Margy's birthday.

Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in Peace. Amen.

A timely quote from from Joan:

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.

And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...

Happy Birthday Margy!

Morphing Icons

I read this today and I thought I'd share it...

Just an excerpt...

Silence Prepares Us for the Coming of Christ
by Catherine Doherty

When peaceful silence lay over all,
And night had run the half of her swift course,
Down from the heavens, from the royal throne, leapt your all-powerful Word;
Into the heart of a doomed land.
(Wisdom 18: 14-15)

It is not easy to be silent, but it is necessary if we are to begin our journey inward to meet the God who dwells within us. Jesus Christ said, “My Father and I and the Holy Spirit will come and dwell within you.”
Silence can also become a cradle. Silence is the cradle of the Incarnation of God, for there was a great and awesome silence when God was born.
I make a cradle out of my heart for any one of you to rest in like a child. As Christ said, “Unless you become like little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” That’s why my favorite prayer is: “Lord, give me the heart of a child and the awesome courage to live it out as an adult.”
Silence is also an inn. There was a Good Samaritan who picked up the man besieged by robbers. Who of us is not besieged by robbers today? Who of us does not need an inn where all is rest and peace and silence? This is what silence does; it becomes the highest communication, the quickest way to peace, the cradle for a child, an inn for the weary and tired.
Silence produces all this if you and I fall in love with God. For it is out of that love, that fantastic union that only God could devise for us, that silence can become all those things.
What does the world need most of all? It needs to touch God. Through silence I realize that I can touch Jesus Christ everywhere. Silence is the key to many secrets of God. Why don’t we ask him to give it to us?

Medling in God's Work...

So, we all know about people trying to 'play God' in many different facets of life -from controlling the sex of their child to the moment of their own death -and we know that these attempts of humans 'playing God' have had disastrous affects on humanity.

Well, two news articles that I've read the past week or so have hit a funny bone with me -both having to do with a new area of 'playing God.' They have to do with controlling weather. The first speaks of Moscow's mayor who is going to hire the Russian Air Force to chemically control the clouds above Moscow this winter in order to prevent snow. The second has to do with China's government, which chemically created snow to fall in Beijing. I won't claim to know the moral implications of weather control (maybe it is a good advancement in science -something that can 'help' people suffering from droughts or blizzards) -but just at first glance it seems to me like a dangerous enterprise when people try to take on 'God's work' in such a magnanimous arena. God has perfect order in Himself -humans (fallen in sin) usually have total disorder. Don't you think there are some things better left to Divine Providence? Not only really important things like life issues, but also weather? It will be interesting to see the global ramifications of this new weather 'game.' To read the articles click here:

Russia: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/luzhkov-takes-snow-fight-to-the-sky/387446.html

China: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091103/wl_time/08599193409000

I wish more people in the world believed in the old Gospel value of surrender to Divine Providence.

Is this the fruit of 40 Days for Life?

From KBTX-TV in College Station, Texas. (Click the headline for more).

"Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure.

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Jonhson.

She handed in her resignation October 6. Johnson worked as the Bryan Planned Parenthood Director for two years.

According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it's business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion.

"It seemed like maybe that's not what a lot of people were believing any more because that's not where the money was. The money wasn't in family planning, the money wasn't in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that," said Johnson."

The bad effects of soft drinks

Click on the headline to motivate yourself to stay away from soft drinks - even diet soft drinks!

johnny johnny woops!

Found these great pictures of Dad and Johnny's trip to Medjugorje while I was cleaning tonight. I thought you would all enjoy. The third one is Johnny with Fr. Jozo -I love it! And he even found Mary Nolan over there to hang out with.

Little did Johnny know, he was not too far from THE 'departure' -are we all ready to meet God?

Dad will be on the radio

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Part II of Eternal Life Radio Interview Scheduled to Air Tonight at 8pm EST. Part II of the Eternal Life Radio Interview on Boston's WROL is scheduled to air tonite (Wednesday) at 8 PM EST on 950AM Radio. You can listen to it on streaming audio at www.wrolboston.com

Tonight's installment will feature an interview with Irvin Kloska who will answer questions on the Canonically-approved devotion to Our Lady of America and the central apparitions associated with this devotion which took place in the Our Lady Mother of Mercy Chapel in Rome City, IN.

Don't miss this very informative segment.

Does anyone else ever feel this way?

So...

So, hi... I guess it has been quiet here lately. My problem with posting is that I'm overwhelmed with this 'noisy world' in general and so why contribute to it with a post? I guess I just feel like there are so many words in this world -too many words. And what people actually need is silence. I wish there was a way to blog silence. Words -any words -especially important words -can only be heard if they are surrounded by silence. If they are just surrounded by other people's words then what is important gets lost. So I guess my contribution to the world is silent love. It just makes for a very boring post.

Its not that I have not thought of posting anything here in the past week (or more). I've had lots of ideas run through my little mind. But I'm sure there are books that are better written and talks that are better given than anything little 'ol Mary would have to say -so I just think my thoughts and keep them in silence. As soon as I try to open them -they just get gobbled up by the noise in this world. At least in silence I can think about them with God.

There actually were a few Sundays here when I felt on fire to write something about the Readings from Mass. But I hesitated and time just got away from me and I thought -who is going to take the time to stop long enough to find the stillness and silence of heart to actually hear and get what I wanted to share? Everyone in America is so busy... everyone in the world is so busy. Sometimes I think God gets lonely -I mean, I know He's the Trinity so He's never alone -but sometimes I wonder if He misses us as we run around doing so much for Him and speaking so much for Him -I wonder if He would rather we'd sit with Him a while instead. I don't know.

Anyway, with Bobby's 'poke' to get someone to write something -I'll share what I've been thinking. But feel free to skip it if you're not in the mood. This is just what has been occupying my thoughts and time lately:

September 6th -23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God… He comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared…” (Isaiah 35:4-7)

“Jesus took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears and spitting, touched his tongue; then He looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ that is, ‘Be opened!’” (Mark 7)

How many of us would love to hear these words as a voice from heaven speaking to us? “Be not afraid… Be healed… Be opened… God will save you” no matter what your personal present struggles are? And yet, God IS speaking these words to us directly -through these readings. Of course He does not save us from suffering –instead He teaches us to love and therefore fills our suffering with His strength, His healing, His transformation. Not everyone has a physical sickness (even if all feel a tinge of the swine flu these days) –but all of us have some sin rooted in us that keeps us prisoner –keeps us deaf and dumb and afraid and needing a Savior to help us.

September 13th -24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The first words of the First Reading pick up from where we left off the week before:
“The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear…”
God wants us healed and opened to His Love, but it is so that we can imitate it. What does it look like? Jesus crucified…
“I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” (Isaiah 50)
We don’t always want to trust Him and follow Him down Calvary’s road because we still think like the world –as Peter does in the Gospel –yet Jesus corrects his fault as a temptation of the devil calling him to ‘think as God’. He calls us to do that as well. And ‘thinking like God’ is only possible if we stop and shut up long enough to hear His Spirit teach our minds and hearts this new way of thinking. Even though we will be called to “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him” –to truly “lose our lives” as He calls us to do in the Gospel (Mk 8), He promises to help us: “The Lord God is my help… He is near who upholds me.” We just have to let Him help us.

September 20th -25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Let us beset the just one, because He is obnoxious to us… with revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience!” (Wisdom 2) When people hear this there is a temptation to immediately think –‘oh yes, I’m so just and so persecuted!’ But how humbling when we think of how Christ suffered these words. He is patience, gentleness, love… and when we compare our day to day attempts to His perfection of virtue, we begin to see how maybe we need to be corrected by St. James (in the Second Reading) and instead search out our own sin of ‘jealousy or selfish ambition’, asking Jesus to replace it with ‘the wisdom of above which is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity… always cultivating peace.”(James 3-4) All we need to be like Him is to ask for the grace of His Love –and this Love will help us imitate Him unto suffering and death, being a humble child in this world and the servant of all. (Mk 9:30-37)

September 27th -26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
All the readings talk about jealousy, the selfishness of excess riches and not truly caring for the poor –condemning using one’s life to live in luxury and pleasure instead of ‘helping the little ones…’ –we all could find little pieces of the dust of such sins in our hearts –and Jesus wants us to rip it out.

October 4th -27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This was the best! Yes, very beautiful readings about the vocation of marriage… but I took it a level deeper as God speaking of His Love relationship with Humanity –especially the Church. I see it in a very personal way –although this personal aspect is repeated over and over in a unique way in the relationship Jesus shares with each member of His Church. The Father ‘cast a deep sleep’ of death upon Jesus on the Cross and from His side, His Heart –the Church was build up. I think of how the Father recreated me to be Jesus’ beloved through my Baptism, through Confession and Communion with Him in the Eucharist –re-creating me from Jesus’ crucified side. And then I am given back to Him and what does He say, “This one at last is bone of My Bone and flesh of My Flesh!” These words are repeated each time we are united in the Eucharist. And then it speaks of how Jesus ‘left His Father’ in heaven so that He could ‘cling to His wife’ –through the Incarnation and through the gift of Himself over and over in the Eucharist. God clings to us through His continual gifts of grace. What an amazing thought! And because of His great Love, He is not afraid to become poor and naked like us (as He was on the Cross) –and therefore I should never ‘hide’ from Him, I should always be willing to be ‘naked’ before Him without shame. For His presence is purity and love.
The Second Reading says that Jesus ‘brought His children to glory… and consecrates them’ through ‘being perfected by suffering.’ (Hebrews 2:9-11) The Cross is the deepest way Jesus could unite with us –and it is the deepest way we can unite with (and cling) to Him.
The Gospel speaks again of how ‘the two become one flesh’ –we unite as such with Jesus in the Eucharist –and ‘what God has joined together, no man must separate.’ We must never allow anyone (or anyone’s opinion) to separate us from Jesus –to whom the Father has united us through the Sacraments and Grace. Each time we sin, we are ‘trying to separate ourselves’ from this unfathomable gift of union with Him. So we must truly recognize the gift we are offered in a marriage union of love with God, and strive never to break this union of grace.

And Jesus at the end of the Gospel makes it easy for us to do all this -He gives us a ‘key’ to help us know how to stay united with Him in spousal love –it is littleness –the life of a child. Yes, we are called to spousal union with God, but it is so pure, so humble, so trusting –that it is living fully as His littlest child as well. Now that is not so complicated or difficult...

October 11th -28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The First Reading says we should ‘desire Wisdom more than beauty, more than health, more than light.’ Wisdom is the fullness of God’s Spirit of Love living in our soul. It is a ‘listening heart’ –empty and ready to embrace whatever God places in one’s life in thankfulness and trust. Who really in this world is willing to give up beauty or health or the pleasure of feeling ‘spiritual interior light’ in order to gain Wisdom, which is the very presence of God living in the soul in darkness? Not many.

And yet we are called to do this… to allow this ‘word of God’ to be ‘sharper than a sword’ cutting us ‘naked and exposed before the eyes of Him to Whom we must render an account’ (Hebrews 4)–so that He can place His Wisdom in us. We must be like the ‘Rich Young Man’ of the Gospel –willing to give up everything for God –in the way in which He calls each of us to do it in our different vocations. And giving up ‘beauty,’ ‘health,’ ‘spiritual light,’ or ‘wealth,’ or ‘respect,’ etc… is easy if we look to Jesus who is ‘looking at us with Love’ as He looked on the Rich Young Man. His look of Love is enough to transform us, guide us, fill us. But where are we looking…?

October 18th is about the Cross again and our call to share with Him in it…
I could keep going, but I suppose this is enough to keep you all busy reading all week.
This is why I don’t post more. I’m thinking about this. I’m hearing Him question me in Scripture and I’m trying to answer as He speaks.
Now aren’t you glad I don’t post more often?
Wouldn’t it have been easier for Bobby to just put a funny video on?

Yes, we are still alive

All is well. I haven't posted in over a week because Margy's been out of town visiting her ailing mother and I've been holding down the fort and doing house projects. I'm not sure why none of the siblings have posted anything. Maybe they all lead really boring lives.

That is all.

An invitation my from my sister friends...

Click on this invitation to see it a whole lot clearer.

Dad went a'Huntin' !!!

Dad and John Thomas had lots of fun Friday afternoon 'hunting' coyotes in Theresa's back yard. Laying in their camouflage on each side of the barn they took turns shooting to get their prey -John hit him first in the neck which sent him dancing and Dad took him out with a great belly shot. This was all done to the cheers of Theresa's little girls screaming from the upstairs windows. Theresa had become concerned when a pack of 4 coyotes hovered near her ducks' and chicken coop all week. One coyote was so aggressive that she was afraid to let the kids out to play. Dad and John Thomas were more than happy to take care of the problem and they were extremely excited that the DNR had no restrictions on killing coyotes. They only got one of them (as the others were scared off) -but thankfully it was the most aggressive one. That'll teach 'em! The smiles on their faces tell me that those other 3 just better watch out!

Some great lessons to be learned...

Charleston, South Carolina Rank's #2!

I always enjoy seeing published rankings whether it is for best jobs, best colleges, or best places to live. This published ranking by Conde Nast Traveler is a really neat one for the South Carolina Kloska's. Check out the link (click on the title) to see how Charleston ranks among America's best cities! The slide show pictures are pretty neat too. The criteria for the rankings are based on the following:

• Atmosphere/Ambience
• Culture/Sites
• Friendliness
• Lodging
• Restaurants
• Shopping

Also, if you're so inclined, you may even see Joey's employer on one of the lists.

By the way former Kentucky Kloska's... there is a hotel in Louisville, KY that made the top 100 list of the WORLD as the 6th best hotel/resort/cruise. Pretty impressive. BJ- I'm sure you took Ali there at least once right???

Never, never, never, never, never give up!

The announcers are absolutely hilarious. Be sure to listen to the very last commment at the end of the day!

The Novotas Cemetery, Floods and a Kidnapped Priest

I started writing this post September 26th... but with how crazy busy its been around the Kloska headquarters I never got to finish it.

Yet, I kept adding to it. At first I wanted to just remind all of you to say an extra prayer for Tomek in the Philippines. I had already posted this summer about the many different levels of poverty that surprised me in Manila. Yet a few weeks ago Tomek wrote me about something he found that was actually worse than the garbage dump pictures I showed you -it was called the 'Novotas Cemetary.' Here families live in the midst of decaying bodies -children even playing with human bones. It is very sad. I found these pictures on the internet about it.

Then came the floods we all read about. So many people died. I worried as I could not get a hold of Tomek for weeks, but today he wrote me saying that his house was only flooded to his knees, and that the biggest danger to them was 'rat urine' in the water that could kill on contact.

But the most recent tragedy for them all has to do with one of their 78-year-old Columbian priest friends who was kidnapped at gunpoint from a convent this past week. Every Monday the Heart's Home volunteers visit the Columbian fathers for a day of rest and visiting. Tomek wrote this morning that the Irish Ambassador is there now, and they just wait and pray -hoping to hear some request of randsom from the Muslim kidnappers. Please pray for the safety of Fr. Michael and the mission there in general. It is suffering, like so many places in the Church throughout the world. Here is an excerpt from the AP article on Father's kidnapping. And you can click on the headline for an article about the area where Tomek is serving...

Irish Priest Abducted in Phillipines

MANILA, Philippines – Heavily armed men barged into a Catholic convent and kidnapped a 78-year old Irish priest late Sunday in the volatile southern Philippines before spiriting him away in a motor boat, an official said.
The six gunmen entered the Columban House in Pagadian city, Zamboanga del Sur province, and dragged Michael Sinnott into a van in front of his horrified aides, regional police commander Chief Supt. Angelo Sunglao said.
"They could not do anything because the abductors had powerful weapons," Sunglao told The Associated Press.
The van was later found abandoned and burned near the convent. The kidnappers then took the priest away by sea on board a motor boat toward a town called Tukuran, Sunglao said, citing fishermen who saw the abduction.
Police have been dispatched to pursue the kidnappers and rescue Sinnott, he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but suspicion could fall on Muslim guerrillas who have been fighting for a separate homeland in this region of the predominantly Catholic Philippines for decades and have in the past kidnapped foreigners, including priests.
Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants and insurgents from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front have a presence in the vast Zamboanga peninsula but Sunglao said it was too early to pinpoint any group.
Sinnott's group, the Missionary Society of St. Columban, confirmed his abduction, saying he was taking an evening stroll in the convent's garden when he was taken by the gunmen. The group appealed for prayers for his safe recovery.
Sinnott has worked in the Philippines for decades. The group said he was first assigned in the southern Philippines between 1957-66, then returned in 1976. He has been involved in a school for handicapped children since 1998.
Several priests have been kidnapped in recent years in the region.

I post these because he's just so cute!

I had to post these pictures of Noah James Kloska's (BJ and Ali's son) first birthday last week. Isn't he so tiny and cute you could eat him up?!