Feel-good story of the day

Harry Potter author donates $100,000 in fan's memory. NEW YORK--It is a story every bit as moving and magical as her Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowling, a world-famous children's author, has donated $100,000 to the memory of a young American girl whose battle against terminal cancer left, in the writer's words, "footprints on my heart." [Chicago Sun-Times]

For all the cold, bitter cynic I like to been seen as, I have to admit that, down inside, I have one of those damnable soft hearts that gets all "Awwwwww" about happy or touching stories.  I hate it, but it's there, and sometimes I just have to induldge in it.

After hearing from most of my Witchy friends abot how much they loved the Harry Potter stories, I decided to test the waters by watching the first movie.  It's become one of those (like Evolution) that I now watch on a fairly regular basis.  Yes, its sentimental and sweet and all that, but it's also a good bit of fun, so I got sucked into it.  Then, today, I read the story above about author JK Rowling's donation to a fund in memory of an American fan she'd had contact wth before the girl died.  It turns out that not only did she donate what is by any measure a substantial sum, but she also had taken time to talk to the girl before her death, and when it became apparent that the child wouldn't live to see the fourth book published, called the girl and read her excerpts from the book over the phone.

Maybe its just that in a world whice seems to offer so many good reasons for being bitter and cynical, it's nice to be reminded that kindness still has a place.