Nature gives a sense of relief, freedom, and calmness, like a quiet breeze through the grass. A place full of wonder, a place full of change. It's like everything has its own story and something to tell.

I saw a red leaf dangling on a big, old, tree. The leaf is red with the strength of a warrior. As many lay underneath it on the cold hard ground, it sticks to the tree. The tree is what keeps it together, keeping the leaf safe and giving it nutrients to live. It's a foundation; everyone has one to keep them sane when disaster comes a knocking. A disaster that meets someone when the hourglass’s last bit of sand has fallen through. The leaf has watched many others fall but the closest ones to it causes a crippling that last forever.

I studied the leaf like it was telling me a story of my own life. Losing someone close but never letting go. My grandfather was a man with strength and stubbornness. He went through a lot in his lifetime; he could tell a different story everyday for a year and would never run out. He lost many people close to him but he never quit, it gave him strength to push on. Just as this leaf does, just as I will do.

The wind blows harder as I watch the leaf. Creating a struggle for the leaf to stay clung to the branch. Rocking back and forth but now it shows no remorse. Hanging on with all its power, giving the wind a fight. It almost seemed like the wind gave up as it slowly stopped; everything is still again. The red leaf looks weary of all the strength it put in to stay with the branch. Weary of all the troubles that has been brought its way. After a loss of others, everything seems to be more stressful. A simple wind becomes a tornado, a light rain becomes a thunderstorm. This leaf knew that when the time came it would have to let go.

I found out about a year ago that my grandpa had a rare lung disease. He never smoked a day in his life. But he was gonna try to fight through it. My family and I helped him with a bunch of stuff he was not able to do.

Cleaning, feeding the cows, and mowing, just normal chores to help out. After a while there was no improvement so he went to the doctors to get checked out. The doctor told him the rate he was going at he would only make it a couple more years. He refused to do the stuff the doctor told him to do. He thought they were all lying to him or got it wrong. It made it harder for my family and I to watch because we knew the truth. My father one day told him that he needed to face the facts. After that day he realized that it wasn’t fake or a dream. A disease that only captures some but he was one of them.

Looking at the leaf it seems almost that it has lost its strength. The weather has made a worthy challenger to the leaf. Making the red, lively, leaf to a dried, weak, leaf. The wind pushed a little more, now the leaf puts up no fight. Getting tossed around like a ship in the sea during a storm. After fighting the wind, the leaf is powerless. The leaf knows that the wind has won the last fight of its life. It realizes that its time has come. Just like my grandfather knew. They both let go; getting peacefully swept away to a better place. They go to join the others that they have lost long ago.