Well 2016, you sure were a rough one to get through. While you gave me many twist and turns throughout the many days that you had, 366 to be exact (thanks leap year), I’m kind of happy yet sad to see you go.

Early on in the year, I was so happy. I was going to a school I love, I was in a relationship with a man that I loved and had some of the best friends that a girl could ask for. It went seemingly smooth, which was odd, because the beginning of the year never goes too smoothly for me. Then, May hit. While I was beyond excited for all of my friends to graduate high school, I couldn’t help but start to feel sad as I realized that we probably wouldn’t all be in the same place for this long of a period of time for a while, if ever again. I cherished every moment that I had with them as they prepared to leave for college. I took the time to truly think of them and how they have brought joy to my life.

That summer saw a lot of times of gains and losses. My boyfriend and I broke up, I had family troubles, I was being attacked by girls that I worked with, was taking really difficult online courses, lost a few friends and I was hurting, a lot. I put on this front as if everything was okay, but deep down inside, I knew that I wasn’t. I was hurting, more and more each day. It was like I was climbing a steep mountain, with no equipment, and I could not regain my footing, I was merely dangling in thin air. I didn’t really talk to many people, simply due to the fact that I didn’t want to place that burden on them. So instead of bawling my eyes out to others, I poured out all of my heart and soul onto the pages of my prayer journal. While I didn’t know what was happening, I knew that God was working. He was testing my faith within him. While many others had failed me, I knew that my God had not failed, that he never has and he never will.

With that summer came many wonderful moments. Through my break up, I was able to gain some new, dear friends, who I can honestly say are some of the biggest blessings in my life. During that time of being single, I truly learned how to love myself and embrace the little things in life. My passion for Christ grew and I continued to live life and be there for those that needed me. I took photos, I laughed, walked around downtown late at night with friends just to play Pokémon-GO!, I supported others in their struggles and I was almost always with my friends and family.

As time went on, my friends starting leaving for school, I started gearing up for another year at the University of Dayton and things slowly fell back into place. With the introduction of a new school year, I felt as if it was time for a change. I got to see my friends from school again after a long four months, I was back to a normal schedule and went back to having only one job. Eventually, my boyfriend and I got back together, but then things around me slowly started to fall apart again. I got sick for a month on end, twisted my ankle (which I’m still not able to do much on after two months), my grandmother passed away, I was constantly fighting with my best-friend, I was falling behind in my studies, my birthday came and went, and I felt as if there was no end to my struggles. Again, I turned to God, praying and pleading with him to get me through this. He again showed me the way through my friends and has continued to strengthen my relationship with not only my boyfriend and others, but also with Christ himself.

While this year is coming to a close, I can’t help but look back and be thankful for the many blessings in disguise that have been given to me. With 2017 coming in hot and heavy, I can only hope for the best. While I am a bit fearful that 2016 may repeat itself, I know that these twists and turns are all a part of this wonderful thing that we call life. I’m hoping that my relationship with Christ, with my friends and with others continues to strengthen and that I will continue to be there for them as they have been for me. There are many new opportunities coming for me this 2017, and I couldn’t be more excited to embark on this new journey.