2017 was quite a year in Winchester-Clark County. There was certainly no shortage of news — shocking, exciting, inspiring, good, bad — last year.

We shared 10 of those that stood out most to us in Saturday’s “A snapshot of 2017.” Truthfully, there were twice as many we could have shared — proof that the last 12 months were nothing short of “busy” in our community.

As we bid adieu to 2017, it is important to reflect on the year that was.

Now, we are just a couple days into a new year. For some, this year is welcomed with excitement, hope and open arms. For other, greeting the new year is bittersweet.

Life comes with its share of ups and downs. As individuals and a community we have certainly experienced our fair share this year.

Regardless of what happened in 2017, the new year offers a metaphorical fresh start. While life seems to just move on in the same fashion, we can all make a mental shift as we flip our calendars to 2018.

In 2018, our hope for our readers and community is that there are more ups than downs. We pray that the good outweighs the bad in this new year.

In this period of transition, take the time to reflect on all that was 2017. Take mental (or physical if that’s the kind of person you are) notes of the challenges you faced, how you overcame them or what plan you put in place to overcome them. Remember the important, happy, monumental and life-changing things that took place last year.

Take some of the advice shared in our front-page article, “Resolving for a better year.” These are tips about how to set goals for the new year or just participate in self-reflection if you want to avoid the age-old resolutions.

In this new year, take a moment to reflect on the successes and failures, the happy and bad times, the opportunities missed and the new paths forged.

As a community, this is a time for us to look back at how far we have come and look forward  to what we hope to accomplish together this year.

We wish our neighbors and readers a prosperous and happy new year. May 2018 bring more joy, progress and happiness than 2017.