wish upon a star

Andrew and I raced the sun as it was setting last night. We were driving home from swimming lessons and he wanted to make it home by the time the first star came out so he could make a wish.

"Mom," he said. "I want to make a special wish."

"Oh?" I asked him. "What are you going to wish for?"

He paused for a second.

"Will it come true if I tell you?" he asked.

"It might not, but you can tell me if you want." I told him.

"Well, I'll tell you, but you can't tell Dad," he said. "I'm going to wish to be a superhero. I want to be Superman."

This wish isn't unusual for Andrew. He's wanted to be Superman for as long as I can remember. You can see in this old picture of him dressed up for Halloween as Superman at age 3.

So he told me all the things that he wants to do when he's Superman. He's going to save the world. Make sure all the kids have food to eat and that their parents aren't "too mean" to them. Then he asked, "Can I set a time limit on my wish? Because I don't think I could be Superman for too long. I'd get tired."

Oh, the innocence. Just when you think the weight on your shoulders is getting too much to carry, they come around with something so intuitive and heart-warming you just melt.