"Believe in yourself"

Every now and again you come across something so pretty darn wonderful that it melts away any cynicism and brings a real, genuine smile to the face and possibly a lump to the throat too. And so it was that, following the sudden death of John Hughes - he of The Breakfast Club, Weird Science and (of course) Ferris Bueller's Day Off - that I came across this blog post, revealing the writer and director's warm and inspirational penpal correspondence with an ordinary teenage fan.

"You've already received more letters from me than any living relative of mine has received to date. Truly, hope all is well with you and high school isn't as painful as I portray it. Believe in yourself. Think about the future once a day and keep doing what you're doing. Because I'm impressed. My regards to the family. Don't let a day pass without a kind thought about them."

Read the obituaries if you want, but this is worth so much more as a personal, heartfelt tribute.

(Thanks to Neil and Darryl for the link.)