And so we wind up this year's list of The Top Five People Marcelle Is Most Grateful For This Year...

1. Grace: Wasn't it fairly obvious who the top person of the list would've been? And while I have no idea what else I can say that hasn't already been said about her, at least I know for a fact that Grace is indeed the one person who has always been there for me in every single thing I've been through, the one person who believed in me this much as a person, and the one person who sees me for who has made me feel special and loved. And well, it's been that way for the past four years of my life, and I'm not complaining about it one bit. Four years would certainly be a long time by any standards, but that hasn't fazed me one bit. In fact, it's only made this whole journey more and more worth it, and this bond stronger and stronger with each passing day.

I'm at a loss for words, especially when I looked back at the last time I talked about Grace in last year's Top 5. Apparently, not much of what I said back then has changed, and so all of then is still all of now. I suppose I'm just really grateful that through this uber-grade conscious year I've had, she managed to put up with all of my idiosyncracies, considering how I was almost clawing at just about any avenue I might have to get high grades, being less and less accessible to her because I'm either studying or playing CCG's (Albeit because we have a phone in my aunt's house, we talk on the phone a lot more than when I was in a dorm.), and such. Nonetheless, with this year being fairly rough, considering all the academic hassles of graduation and such, it was a turning point for the both of us, as we had to continue and mature in the things we chose and did, especially when other people around us refused to do the same.

I cannot imagine any other person who would be capable of putting up with me the way Grace does, and I cannot imagine any other person I'd want to be with at this point in my life, regardless of the infamous list I have. Simply put, Grace has been the earthly guiding force in my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. While indeed, I easily am left speechless because I seem to have said so much about her already, that doesn't take away her value to me, and I hope I am likewise someone who matters as much to her. With everything going for the both of us, I do believe that it wouldn't be that easy to just undermine what we have. It's something that I immensely treasure, and for the record, one statement I will never end up retracting is that at this point in my life, this is certainly one of the best things I have ever put so much of myself into. No doubt about it, jabronis.

And so as this year draws to a close, my wholehearted gratitude to all the people in my top 5 this year, more so to Grace. I'll always be around, and I love you, dear!