So many posts and comments on social media and even in conversations  around the water cooler for months now about how horrible 2016 has been. Has it, really?

People have been so upset about all of the celebrities lost. Does it really make a big difference in our lives when someone famous passes away? Yes, I may take a moment to honour them, understand how their footprint in the world has impacted me, but in the grand scheme of things they did not impact me each and every day. Is it more important to bemoan the passing of someone famous like they were one of our dear friends, focusing on it and being in the know with our Facebook posts, or would it perhaps be a better use of time and energy truly reaching out to those in our lives that we love to honour and cherish them? Perhaps, instead of the time it takes to focus on the loss and place another Facebook post energy would be better spent picking up the phone and actually talking to someone we love (better yet making the effort to connect in person), someone that loves us in return, and taking the reminder of death as a reminder that life is not permanent and it is important to connect while we can.

Health issues and concerns – yep, clearly I write about them too, but I truly hope that my focus has not been on the sniffles and owies but the loving, helpful people that have helped me through it and my gratitude for them. Our health care system is not perfect, but show me one that is. Again, is our energy best used focusing on what is wrong or what is right? If I were to flip through my gratitude journal for the past year plus, I would find that I have written (and wholeheartedly believed) nearly every day that I am grateful for my health – yes, even the days I was diagnosed with cancer, chemo days, hangover days (there may have been a couple), days when my body is sore…..there is always at least a part of my health that is good and strong. Maybe it is my eyesight (with my glasses), maybe it is my pinky toe that has no pain, but ultimately it is way more fun to focus on that than any aches and pains that then seem to magnify.

This is a year where I have found myself (almost) forcibly hermited away – never a good thing for me. Though content with my own company I have always been energized around people. I enjoy the connections, especially shared laughter and good hugs. So, do I focus on poor me being stuck at home between my 4 walls because 2016 brought me chemotherapy and surgeries or do I focus on all of the love that has surrounded me, brought me food, called me out of the blue, my warm home and time with my boyz (aka dogs for those of you that don’t know Winston and Conan)? I chose to focus on the love (most days anyway, and on the days I get lost, as we all do, I rely on those loved ones to give me a swift kick in the attitude!)

And loss of loved ones. Oh 2016, you took my Mom in August! No!!! It wasn’t a calendar year that did that, it was Mom finally letting go of the struggles she had for years with her health. It was her family letting her go, surrounding her with love. And it is that love that keeps her close in my heart, her voice still guiding me, but without her continued suffering.

2017 is coming,  only a few hours away, and I hate to say it, but it will only bring more of the same that 2016 brought each and every one of us. The choice is ours because 2017 going to be the year each of us deserves!

My wish for each of you is that, as we ring in the new year, you are able to welcome it with the fond memories and gratitude  for 2016 and the promise of continued new experiences in 2017 that will shape us with the free will choice – we can choose to celebrate or bemoan. How will you spend your year?

With love, Glenna