"Life doesn't discriminate

Between the sinners and the saints

It takes and it takes and it takes

And we keep living anyway

We rise and we fall and we break

And we make our mistakes

And if there's a reason I'm still alive

When so many have died

Then I'm willing to wait for it."

--Lin-Manuel Miranda

2016 will draw to a close tonight. To say the least, it's been a harsh year to the bitter end, and we all have the sincerest hopes that 2017 will be better. I mean, it has to be, right? Things can't get any worse than rock bottom. Even with that, I believe that it’s vitally important for us to remember that the only way that 2017 will be better than this past year is if we make it so. Just as the prodigious Mr. Miranda writes, "If there's a reason I'm still alive when so many have died, then I'm willing to wait for it."

We are still here. We are still alive. So let's do something with that. Let's keep living with our heads high and proud. Let's smile at the fact that we're still here. Let's honor and remember those that have passed, because as long as we honor them in our memory, they will never truly fade away--not if we make them immortal in memory. Let's fight the good fights that need to be fought against the people that need to be fought. For 2017 to be better, we need to be better. We need to rise to the occasion to be the best friends, neighbors, citizens, workers, parents, spouses, and children that we can be.

There is too much hurt and too much hatred in this world. We cannot afford to do otherwise. If nothing else, think of all the loved ones and beloved figures and celebrities we have lost this year. Would they want us to act any differently, just because they're gone? We owe it to them to carry on and work to make the world better in their absence.

This is for Alan, Anton, Carrie, Christina, David, Debbie, Elie, Gene, Harper, John, Muhammad, Prince, Richard, Ron, and so many others.

This is for Aleppo, Baghdad, Berlin, Brussels, Istanbul, Libya, Nice, Orlando, and so many other cities and war-torn countries across the world.

We survived 2016. Now here comes 2017--so let's get to work and make this a good one.