Milestones - 19 days left

Being a mother of four, there are many milestones that I have the opportunity to witness in my children's lives.  One of the first is potty training.  For my three who have potty trained so far, this has come in two steps.  The first is when they are potty trained throughout the day and then again when they are finally diaper free at night.

For the last eight years I have had two children in diapers at the same time.  At least that is how it was until this week.  This week is when my three year has consistently made it through the night first with a dry diaper and then to "wear", as she calls it, without wetting the bed.  This is not only a sign of her growing up, but also a sign of money that will be saved now only having to buy diapers for one.

Over the last 98 days, I have seen "milestones" concerning my health.  The first was when I no longer craved sugar as though I would absolutely die without it.  Then was the first eight pounds of weight loss I achieved that represented one year of weight gain.  In the last month, I have mastered sit-ups again for the first time in over 20 years.  And finally yesterday, I rowed 400 meters in less than 2 minutes.

Like my daughter's accomplishment in potty training, these personal milestones are signs that I am getting stronger and more fit.  I am "growing up" in the healthy way of speaking.  It is also a sign of money that will be saved in my future.  Money saved from additional doctor visits that would be required of a morbidly obese person as myself.  Money saved from prescriptions I would need to treat the diseases I would acquire or surgeries and hospital stays that would be required.  And in the absolute worst case scenario, saving my children from growing up without a mother.

So even though my weight loss each week has been comparable to a shot in the dark (this week a gain of 2 pounds for the record, equaling 24 lbs lost total), I can feel that my body is better off today than when I began three months ago.  What I have put myself through physically and emotionally has been worth it.  It has not been a waste of time or just something for me "to do".  It is the most valuable gift I have given myself.  So as I countdown my final three weeks before my 118 days are through, I don't look down at the ground in shame for what I have not achieved, but straight ahead for all the milestones I will continue to accomplish.

Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message) - Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

WOD (Workout of the Day

• Kickboxing