A couple of weeks ago I mentioned going to see my best friend's father play music and tell stories. He was fighting cancer and this particular night he was feeling good and the stories he told brought back so many fond memories.

Well those words in the title were his final as he passed away in his favorite spot, on the end of his sectional couch, Friday afternoon. The cancer spread to his spine a few weeks ago and from there it was just a matter of time.

For the first time since I can remember my friend Johnny actually needs me. Usually it's the other way around, I always needed him to help me move or help my fix my car or help me tile my bathroom or whatever. Time really does fly, it's been 16 years since I met Johnny and there have been 16 years worth of memories from the time he almost blew his foot off playing with his father's shotgun and ended up blowing a hole through the living room rug (one of his father's favorite stories to tell...I was almost an innocent victim much like Marvin in Pulp Fiction...and Johnny had to pay $2,500 to replace the carpet) to the time that we saw Johnny's daughter and my goddaughter take her first steps right there in their living room...before she bumped into the coffee today, fell and started crying.

It never seems like it's going that fast when it's happening, but 16 years has happened in the blink of an eye. It's a strange feeling for sure, but I'm looking forward to helping him celebrate his father's life this weekend. It was a fun ride.