I love you, Shredder.

Each and every one of us that goes to bed tonight, in a comfortable bed, and wakes up tomorrow morning, is so extremely blessed.

I say this because my dad's best, and one of his only true friends, Allan, passed away this weekend. I just found out today from my dad. He was pretty upset. Allan had been suffering for a while with his sickness. Not only was he sick, but he was from New Orleans and had a lot of losses when Katrina hit. This was going to be his last week of health coverage for his illness, and he and his wife were not going to be able to pay for any of his care. My dad has been worried about him for sometime. He would always tell me about how he wished he could win the lottery and put some money away for Allan's healthcare costs. He said it is a crying shame that people spend thousands of dollars on things like Superbowl tickets, among other things, when his friend, Allan, could use every dime of that to help possibly save his life.

I feel really bad for my dad. I want him to know that he always has a friend in me. Yes, he is my father, the man who wiped my baby bottom from day one, the man who taught me how to ride a bike, the man who grounded me when I said my first curse word. But he is more than that. He is one of my best friends in the world. I go to him about everything, not just when I need some money or wanna go do something. I go to him for advice, to tell him a funny joke, to tell him what I did today, just like I would a close friend.

Right about now, he is feeling sad. I know he is. He is feeling like he is alone, and friendless, because he doesn't have a lot of quality friends outside of co-workers (which he says he tolerates, honestly). But I know him. Everywhere we go, he is such an amazing people-talker. Whether its the grocery store, or Wal-Mart, or the soup kitchen to volunteer, my dad can talk the heads off of complete strangers. Where as I always feel dreadfully awkward talking to strangers, he has this natural ease with strangers, it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. He shows complete strangers the utmost interest in their lives, in what they have to say, in what they are feeling, even if only for the 30 second (or less) interaction he has with them.

That is what I will remember my dad for. And that is why I am blessed. I have the world's best father, and I just hope and pray he knows that. I hope he realizes how much of a blessing he is, and does not let himself feel too lonely.

I will end this with a small story. Its pertinent, though it might not seem it at first. When I was three, I was obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The bad guy in TMNT is Shredder. He wears a silver mask over his mouth, long story short. Anyways, one day, I went into my dad's room and he was sleeping. My Mah told me to go in there and "wake your daddy up." So I went in there and got real close to his face. He opened his eyes and asked "What's up, Nikko Lane?" I always thought his silver haired goatee made him look like Shredder. I grabbed his cheeks with my hands and I said "I love you, Shredder."

I really do.

I love you, Shredder.