Mo DeMott Essay

I don’t feel that I deserve any award for transformation because I feel as though the last 7 weeks have only been the beginning of a commitment to transforming into a new me.

This August I will be turning 40 and it’s a big deal for obvious reasons but for me there’s a bigger significance. When I was 25 my sister died suddenly from an asthma attack at the age of 39. She left behind a great husband and three beautiful girls. Lisa was 14 years older than me and I looked up to her my whole life and wanted to be just like her……a beautiful person, and what made Lisa beautiful was her kindness, her gentle loving approach to her children, her charismatic spirit, her willingness to help anyone in need. Her smile would light up a room when she entered and she turned heads wherever she would go, not because of her outer beauty (she was gorgeous) but because you could feel her warmth and grace and wanted to be around her.

For the past 14 years I’ve thought about my sister everyday and have tried to live my life in a way that would honor her but to be honest I’ve gotten knocked down a few times and sometimes it was easy to get up and brush it off but other times I stayed down longer than I wanted to and got up slower than I wished. So I made a promise to myself that when I turned 40 it would be a new beginning for me to be the best person I could be and to really live and embrace LIFE!

I want to be a better wife and a better mom to my two boys, one of which is on the Autism Spectrum. The only way I know how to do this is to first become a better me, and the way to do that is to be healthier and stronger. I know that my physical appearance is just that…..but when I exercise regularly I feel better, physically and spiritually and let’s face it fitting into my favorite jeans is an added bonus that puts an extra bounce in my step! So transforming is an evolution and not something I expect to achieve in 7 weeks.

On my 40th birthday I will be raising my glass high and I know my sister will be there in spirit to celebrate my life and in turn I will be celebrating her, she made everyday count and lived life to the fullest and given the chance to live a long and happy life is a gift that I will not take for granted. I intend to cherish my husband and children and make it COUNT!

Mo DeMott