Red Leaf
The day seemed to stand still. Leaves danced in the wind, swirling to and fro. She wondered what the day might bring. This morning felt different—she woke with a sense of vitality she hadn’t felt in ages. There was an unfamiliar brightness within her, a quiet shift she couldn’t quite name. It had been a hard year, marked by betrayal, heartache, and the relentless pressure to hold everything together. So many people depended on her. She couldn’t let them see her fragile side. At times, she felt helpless, but never without hope. Each trial—each moment she thought would break her—was met with unexpected help from somewhere unseen. She acknowledged it, grateful every time. She lived on the edge of a cliff, but she hid her fear well. She laughed, danced, and poured her energy into the life she wanted her children to see, even as she felt herself slowly fading inside. She was too drained to do more than face each day as it came. Her once-beautiful relationship had unraveled. Distance had see...