it had been a long time since he 'd lost the habit of bidding good-night in this fashion to a brief list of family and friends ; the hangover of a childhood of nightly prayers that ended with the usual list of , `` god bless nana , and grandpa guy in heaven , and my best friend peter , and lillian the dog , and the grocer 's cat ... '' he had n't done it in years , but a memory of the peace of that small ritual made him draw up a new list , now .