Grace, as much as I've said it before, you were the first friend I made here in Maryland. I remember how I met you.

It was 2006, and I was at freshman orientation, going around to classes (Mrs. Fulchino seemed so harmless back then) and meeting teachers and trying to figure out how to work the school. We went to the cafeteria and I was sitting down all lonely-like, pretty darn upset that I was being forced to come to this school, when you came and joined me at the table.
Thank you so much for sitting down with me. I thought it then, and I think it even more now.

You are one of the most amazing people I know. To be honest, I'll look for a flaw in you and be like, "She's got to have something!" But in 3 years, I haven't found a thing.

First of all, you're way brilliant, man. Sometimes a little too brilliant. If we, somehow, ignore the fact that you skipped a grade, the way you approach problems is just fantastic. When I say you're too brilliant, I mean how you sometimes overthink things. ^^; But really, watching your gears turn is an amazing thing.

Then, you're amazingly talented. You doodle a lot in class, and every now and then I'll peek over and go WOW, that's awesome. And your music, oh your music. Your piano skills are to be reckoned with and you've got the sweetest voice. You're one of the stars of Asian Assembly every year.

Speaking of your music, if one good thing has come from my random obsession with kpop, it's that it brought me a bit closer to you. Singing Mirotic and Sorry, Sorry and Fan with you in class is just about the best thing ever. I also love that you share your fandom with me, whether it's for Super Junior or Lee Jun Ki or Edward Norton or Tablo; you share your love for them with me and I am so grateful. (Especially since you're not crazy about it like I am with DBSK. ^^)

Your patience is something I wish I had. You've been so patient with me and people being annoying (<cough>Vincent<cough>Shulman<cough>Watson<cough>), and you always come out smiling and level-headed. HOW? I only wish I knew. I try not to just ramble on to you now, but you always seem so inviting for conversation, I have to try very hard to not just tell you every detail of my life.

I think the thing I appreciate the most about you is your faith. I still find it hard to believe that one of my closest friends is a devout Christian girl. A "crazy Korean Christian", as a friend of mine used to say. I remember being like, "Oh noes..." when I found out, because I thought you would get really irritated with my cynicism and my general lack of faith and understanding.
But here's the amazing thing: you don't. (At least not visibly. Too visibly.)
You sit there with me and talk theology, and while I'm blathering on about, "Grace, I just... don't understand the Trinity. He's the son of God but He's also God?" you take a deep breath and do your best to explain. (And I actually get it somewhat now!) I have learned a lot about Christianity from you, and I am eternally grateful. After all, how can I argue if I don't have the facts from that side of the argument?
If, four years ago, some told me "Starr. One of your closest friends will be a devout Christian," I would have laughed, no joke, because I've had some issues with devout Christians telling me I'm not a good person and I'm going to Hell. After experiences like that, I didn't know what else to feel about faith besides cynicism and bitterness. But meeting you has helped me understand that those people are just radical and have kind of fallen off the path. It's the people like you that make faith a beautiful thing.

You're beautiful inside and out.

Thank you for sharing your love and faith with me.
Thank you for being you and being my life.