With the new year already begun, there is now officially a new chapter in our lives with many unwritten pages. Everyone gets a clean slate, a new start, 2016 was rough on many people and for some, it was a great year to be alive. Lives were lost and new ones were brought in, weather was crappy and there were many sunshiny days. Lessons were learned, struggles were conquered, tears were shed, and laughter was contagious. While there are many things that I look forward to in 2017 this article is not just for the new year, but the old too.

Dear 2016,

You were one hell of a year, like others before, and change was inevitable. I have made a new batch of mistakes, that I cannot blame but myself for. Tears have been shed and trust me, 2017 will not be a dry year either. Love has come and gone, there has also been love that has stayed. Laughter has brought me to tears and I swear I had a six pack on multiple occasions. There were days where I felt on top of the world and days that I could’ve sworn were beating me to a bloody pulp. Yes, there were some tough times, never knowing if I was going to come back from them. But I live by a motto, “Without the bad, there can be no good.” At times, even that saying cannot save me, yet after that little mantra that I give myself and everyone else, I have the one thing that has always kept me going. My loved ones, like many of us they are all we need. I do better for them because they see the best in me. Along the journey of 2016, new members have joined that little family I hold inside my heart and there have been people that I thought were going to belong there and proved me wrong. It hurt at first but what can you do at the end of the day, that’s not your fault or mine. For the ones who’ve stayed and chose to follow me into this new unforetold year are meant to be there. Which I am grateful for, I have changed so much and I would say for the better. Each day and chapter have brought me closer to the person that I truly am. With the bad there was good, and all I must say is thank you 2016 for the memories.

This is where my new chapter begins…

Dear 2017,

As 2016 has officially ended and you are making your way on our new-found journey, with many memories to write. What I can say to you is that I am looking forward to them, for the tears, laughter, love, heartbreak and lose, and to self-discovery. Let’s make this a year that was unforgettable like they many before you, with the good and the bad.

Best Wishes,

Bonnie Thomas