by Maria Sirois

The old Italian joke comes to mind this morning about the man who prays to the Virgin Mary statue every day in his town church for help winning the lottery. One day after years and years of daily pleading, he decides that this is it, this is the day. He enters the church at dawn, kneels at Mary’s feet, and begs her relentlessly for help, promising to do only good things with the money. Finally after decades of prayer, Mary opens her eyes, looks down, and says, “Would you just buy the damn ticket?!” We have to buy the ticket. We have to take action that sustains us. It isn’t enough to dream about change or how life could be or imagine what might happen … we must take the steps day in and day out that shape our lives toward our hopes. Intending change is a step, an important one, but without making that change manifest through specific, thoughtful action, we are left on our knees waiting for magic from some other realm to make our lives richer.

Maria Sirois Signature2

MariaSiroisDr. Maria Sirois, PsyD, is the Vice President of Curriculum at Wholebeing Institute and an inspirational speaker, seminar leader, and author who has worked at the intersections of wellness, psychology, and spirituality for nearly 20 years. As a wellness guide, Maria has been invited to keynote throughout the country at conferences for wellness centers, hospitals, hospices, philanthropy, business, academic and corporate institutions, as well as for the general public. She has been called both a “true teacher” and “an orator of great power and beauty.” Her book, “Every Day Counts: Lessons in Love, Faith, and Resilience from Children Facing Illness, was published in 2006.”