The air had turned bitter, each cold breeze threatening to tear the leaf from its home on the tree. The leaf had grown comfortable to her life on the tree. She loved watching each season come and go and feeling her own colors change. She felt her body become frail and knew winter had come. One night, a sudden breeze came by and caught her in its gusts. She watched with fear as the tree, her only home, appeared smaller and smaller in the distance. She cried out, begging the wind to not let her go, knowing she had more life to see. The wind must have heard her because it took her on a beautiful path. It first brought her to a window that looked into a cozy kitchen. Inside she saw a mother and daughter frantically chopping vegetables and checking the turkey in the oven. From the outside it looked like pure chaos. But the breeze held the leaf at the window long enough to see the beauty of the moment. A warm glow covered both of them as they swayed to the jazz music playing from the other room. They spilled food and made a mess, but their smiles and laughter filled the leaf with a sense of warmth which she had not felt in a long time. The breeze finally came back to get her and pulled her away from that kitchen. She was flying again, soaring past moving cars, different rooftops, and other trees that reminded her of home. The leaf was finally seeing the world in all its glory. The wind guided her to another large window in front of a cobblestone house. The leaf peered inside. A family sat around a wooden table, a wide assortment of foods perfectly placed in front of them. They sat there with their arms extended holding crystal glasses together. When they put their glasses down, they grasped each other’s hands and bowed their heads. The leaf could not hear the exact words they were saying, but she could feel the power and love radiating from them. She saw the family’s love for each other and could hear laughter coming from inside. The kids of the family sat in their seats with rosy cheeks, stealing more crescent rolls from the basket when the parents were not looking. The parents sat in their seats looking relieved that the meal turned out good and that they accomplished everything they needed to get done. The leaf could have stayed there forever, watching the family bicker and laugh. Sadly, the wind had other plans; one final destination for the leaf. As the wind carried the leaf, she saw bright stars sparkling in the sky. She had never been able to get a clear look of the stars from her tree but now she saw them clearly. The warmth from the previous houses and the stars filled her to the point where she no longer felt frail. She felt as if she had been reborn. By the time she reached the next house, it was dark out. The window she was stopped at revealed a dark family room. She saw a couple swaying in the middle of the room, holding on to each other like two puzzle pieces. They swayed in each other’s arms, love and thankfulness in both of their expressions. The sight of them together filled the leaf with a sense of calmness. She no longer felt afraid. She had been on the greatest journey; she had seen the world. She had felt love, kindness, and thankfulness in each house she visited. The wind, who she thought was tearing her away from her home, was really taking her on one last wonderful journey. Feeling renewed and whole again, she allowed the wind to gently guide her to the ground outside the house. The wind left her as she closed her eyes, feeling all the beautiful emotions of her journey on Thanksgiving Day.