As bad as 2016 was for American politics, with bitter primaries followed by an even more bitter general election, 2017 has suffered some of the same division, vitriol and utterly unhinged partisans running amok. But there’s been a lot good in 2017, too, and so we end the year in our humble shop by counting some of those blessings.

The economy has been a bright spot. After the Democrat-caused financial collapse in 2008 and the Barack Obama stagnation of the last eight years, the economy really turned a corner in 2017. President Donald Trump has worked on a fantastic regimen of regulation cutting, and, of course, Republicans just passed the biggest tax reform in a generation — both of which will spark even more economic growth going into 2018. The average family of four will save more than $2,000 a year, and nearly all American families eagerly anticipate this long-needed relief.

On the national security front, Trump recently unveiled his “America First” national security strategy — a strategy that hinges on strong economic growth making America stronger. And that came on the heels of victory over the Islamic State, at least in terms of its control over territory in the Middle East. That Long War will continue against jihadis the world over, but destroying the “caliphate” is big news. Moreover, as far as the military is concerned, we finally have an administration that prioritizes military morale. Trump just made an unscheduled visit to wounded veterans Thursday, and Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise trip to Afghanistan to visit our troops.

Culturally there were also some good things: Planned Parenthood closed 32 clinics, teen pregnancy rates continue to fall, the NFL suffered for its players’ obnoxious anti-Americanism and Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Sequel” grossed a pathetic $3.5 million. Perhaps that’s not so much good news as schadenfreude, but it also means leftists aren’t always gaining ground in the culture wars. It’s also fair to say that some good has come of the reckoning among Hollywood, media and political elites over sexual misconduct. Leftist playboys like the late Hugh Hefner helped cause the problem, and many of these (often leftist) creeps are now being held to account. Also, in the face of terrible natural disaster, scenes of Americans helping each other were very heartwarming.

Finally, as Mark Alexander wrote in November, “Patriots, take a deep breath, and take heart in the knowledge that there are tens of millions of Patriots who are equally devoted to Liberty. Hold fast to George Washington’s counsel in his 1776 General Orders: ‘Let us animate and encourage each other. … A Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.’”

We humbly ask your prayers for our Patriot team, that we would be tireless in our mission in defense of Liberty, and that we would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.