Well, 2016 has been an interesting year, to say the least. From the loss of some of our favorite celebrities and public figures to a presidential election that will probably go down as the most childish in history. (Not to mention, the child won the election.)

There is less than 10 hours remaining in 2016, and we're all holding our breath a little bit while waiting for 2017 to come in and take over. This year has been a particularly difficult year as far as celebrity deaths go. We lost icons like Prince, Muhammad Ali, George Michael, Florence Henderson, David Bowie, Gwen Ifill, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and the terrible list goes on. Sure ... we will all meet a similar fate one day, but I think we can all agree that this year was a little unsettling for families, friends, fans of celebrities.

It just got to a point where all the deaths were a bit much, especially Carrie Fisher's passing and her mom, Debbie Reynolds, passing on the following day. That is beyond heartbreaking. All of this death even sparked plenty of jokes on social media. One in particular was a meme suggesting the Grim Reaper as the person of the year. Yikes!

Still, it's important to simply be thankful for all things in life. We can be thankful that we were blessed to witness such a wonderful force like Muhammad Ali. We can be thankful that Prince not only left us with some phenomenal music to cherish forever, but he also left us with Paisley Park and new music that we can look forward to hearing in the future, God willing. We can be thankful that George Michael is practically the poster boy for 80s music. Everyone who perished in 2016 left us with something valuable. They also lived more fully than any of us likely ever will.

It's important to be grateful for all that we have, even the seemingly small things. I am grateful for all that I have, for all that I've been able to accomplish thus far in life. I'm grateful for my life, my health, my family, my friends, my shelter, my food. As we navigate this world and try to find our happy place within it, there is always a tremendous amount to be thankful for.

Happy New Year to all of you! Peace & blessings...

#life #celebrities #death #year #2016