You made it through. Whatever 2016 held for you, whatever transition, heartache, or opportunity presented itself, you made it through. We all did. And that’s a big deal.

This year, we withstood challenges we may not see the fruits of for a while, if ever. And we inspired people in ways we may never know.

We grieved. Privately, with few or no people to witness. Or publicly and found support from unlikely places.

We endured.

We persevered.

We cried. Sad tears and happy tears. Maybe even both in the same week.

We belly laughed until our sides and our cheeks hurt. (We may or may not have peed a little.)

We saw beauty.

Felt beauty.

Became beauty.

We lost weight and we lost hair.

And faith,

And hope,

And love.

We gained weight. And we gained insight,

And wisdom,

And miraculously, we gained faith,

And hope,

And love… love beyond what we could ask or imagine.

We medicated, doctor prescribed or otherwise.

We numbed.

We courageously faced truth,

reality,

our deepest fears.

We fell down.

And we got back up again.

We overcame.

We are overcoming.

And now…

Now… what?

Now, I think we’re ready.

Hello, 2017.

-ld