I am sure I’m not alone when I say good riddance to the year 2016! Looking back at it in retrospect makes me wonder, what happened! We could get into the weather, terrorist attacks and politics. However, my focus in this blog is the loss of life, and in this case, celebrities or those with the most exposure in the media.

The list is just to long to even mention, and I’m sure I might miss several. Even within the last day or two, we have lost icons from the world of entertainment. Many of these deaths have made me put my life in perspective in so many ways. A good many of these people were in my age range. Talk about a bitter pill to swallow.

It began with music legends and just continued on with stars of television and film. Famous authors and those who have contributed to our society in many ways, round out the list. Every other day it seemed as though we lost someone we admired or grew up with through the years. Many of the music world losses hit me hard, since growing up and now, it’s always been about the music. David Bowie, Prince, Glenn Frey, to name a few. WOW!  A chunk of my teen and young adult years died when they did. Fortunately, I can always have their music with me. It just puts a different spin on it now.

Certainly, we go through this cycle every year, however 2016 was just horrific. This year effected all generations, not just baby boomers. Our kids became exposed to many of these artists through us. They became new fans of people who had been around for years. They also were fans of some who had only been around for a short time. We can only hold onto the memories we have from some of these wonderful people, and not so wonderful.

Instead of being morbid about this, let’s remember the good. Many of these people made us smile because of their talents. We can sit back and laugh about a funny line they said, or a lyric they sang. Maybe they gave a memorable speech for all time. Whatever be the case, many of us embraced them like family. For many of us, they made us happy to have gotten to know them and love them.

As we go into 2017, or any new year, it is always with hope and optimism. So let’s pray and feel positive that this will be a better year in so many ways. That’s all we got!