From deadly natural disasters to intense political division, 2017 was rife with bad news in the United States.

But former president Barack Obama wants to remind you that the year had some bright spots, too.

On Friday, the 44th U.S. president tweeted out three stories from 2017 "that remind us what's best about America."

One of the stories detailed how a Houston couple used their postponed wedding as an opportunity to aid Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Wedding planner Kat Creech organized Sarah Samad and Mohsin Dhukka's wedding guests to help clean up efforts in areas devastated by Harvey, according to Houston TV station KPRC. With the help of other volunteers, Creech created Recovery Houston, a group that cleaned up more than 200 homes and connected people from around the U.S. in the recovery efforts.

Obama also shared a story about Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who donated his paychecks to fund scholarships for disadvantaged students.

Long donated his first six paychecks to fund scholarships in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va., and later in the season, he announced he'd use the rest of his salary to start Pledge 10 for Tomorrow, which promotes education for students in Philadelphia, Boston and St. Louis — three NFL cities in which he's played, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Another story Obama tweeted profiled Jahkil Jackson, 10, who organized the collection of thousands of bags filled with donated socks, toiletries and food for homeless people in Chicago.

Jackson calls the packages "blessing bags," and he's had a passion for helping others since he was 5. “He would literally tear up when he would see someone who was homeless, trying to understand how that person got into that situation,” Jackson's mom Natae told the Chicago Tribune.

Obama ended his Twitter thread with a message encouraging Americans to "keep changing the world in 2018."

"Each of us can make a difference, and all of us ought to try," he tweeted.

Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller