Sometimes I just need a news story that restores my faith in the world.

Probably lots of people have already heard about how Make-a-Wish made a boy into a superhero for a day. He got to rescue a sports team and fight an evil mastermind. He’s got a Facebook fan club and everything. If you haven’t heard this story, go take a look; it’s delightful.

So I went to Make-a-Wish’s site and browsed through the stories. There were lots of great stories about kids filling their dreams–a trip to Hawaii, a bedroom makeover, and so on. There was a teenage girl who wanted to have a high-fashion model shoot (she has great souvenir pics!) and a young kid who got to “fly” a powerful military jet (well, a simulation, but it was still awesome).

A few stories struck me in particular.

A 3-year-old meets Elmo. Sometimes the wish is so simple, and look how happy she is.
A 9-year-old wants a voice. Having a voice… now there’s something I take for granted every day.
A 10-year-old boy wants his little brother to have his wish. Both kids have heart problems. Somehow the kid thought there was only one wish per family, but of course they granted both kids wishes.
A 12-year-old gives his wish away to other kids. This story made me cry, it was so sweet. It happened in 2002. There’s no update on this kid, but with a brain tumor, he might not have made it. What a generous spirit.