The Leaf who Longed to Shine like the Sun

Once upon a time, a delicately fashioned leaf clung to the branch of a towering oak tree. The fresh light of spring dawned over the rolling hills dotted with grazing cows. Thick forests shadowed the edges of the grassy fields. As a soft breeze drifted by, a young leaf spread open her bright green folds and basked in the dazzling, morning sun. Glorious beams of sunshine splashed over the trees dotting up and down the lane. The young leaf felt a surge of excitement as she noticed all the golden leaves twirling on the tree branches around her. How she longed to see her own green edges sparkle with golden light. She longed to be like the sun, and she felt encouraged by all the leaves around her shimmering and dancing in their brilliant coats. She decided that one day, she too would shine like the sun.

As the warm days of spring melted into each other, the green leaf studied the other leaves as she tried to discover the secret to how they shone like the sun. She felt hopeful that soon she too would sparkle as the others did. However, when she turned to look down at herself, the same lime green color met her eyes with the deeper green veins and folds curved delicately around. She would sigh, and set back to studying the other leaves to somehow discover their secret. Some days though, she would longingly gaze up into the sun's bright face and simply drink in the sweet beauty of radiant light. Those were the sweetest days.

The warm breezes of spring turned into the hot steamy days of summer. The leaf noticed that her vibrant, lime color had faded into a dull, olive green. She found her heart wearying of all the studying, and it seemed impossible to discover the secret of how the other leaves shone like the sun. She had asked some of the most splendid leaves, twirling in the golden rays, what their secret was and she had received so many answers that she did not know which ones to believe.

"Oh, it is because I sit way up high on the top of this branch," one leaf exclaimed. 

"I must sleep so sweetly through the night that I wake up brilliant and dazzling," reasoned another.

"All the leaves in my family have shone so," another leaf explained.

She felt confused and sad. Each leaf she talked to made her hopes sink lower and lower as she realized she had no real advantages like the others boasted of. She was not sitting way up high, she hardly slept a wink at night since her heart was so heavy, and she was sure some of the leaves in her family shone but she was quite certain she did not. She would twist and turn trying to examine every inch of her fading green skin and all to no avail. No matter what she did, no matter who she talked to, and no matter what way she looked at her coat of green, she just could not shine like the sun. 

All to soon the hot, windy days of summer turned into the cooler, frigid days of fall. The leaf was dismayed to watch her splendid green turn into a dull brown color. She grumbled to herself about how awful it was that she did not even turn into a lovely flaming red or pumpkin orange color like some of the other leaves. No, she simply faded from green to brown. Her hopes all seemed to be dashed to pieces now as she watched the leaves around her slowly fall to the ground one by one. She knew her turn would come soon, and she was sad. She was sad that she had never learned how to shine like the sun, and sad that her life would soon crumple to the earth below.

"Why are you so forlorn, little leaf?" A sparrow chirped early one morning before the sun peeked over the distant hills.

The leaf shivered and sighed, "Oh, I am such a sad leaf because I will soon fall to the earth below, but I still have not learned how to shine like the sun." 

The sparrow hopped closer on the branch above the leaf. "Oh, is that all! Don't you know, little leaf, that you can NEVER shine like the sun!" 

The little bird cocked his head to the side merrily. "But the sun surely will shine on you if you gaze up into his dazzling face. Then you shall twirl and shine in the sun's lovely light. Your brown edges shall glow and sparkle like gold! Just look at the sun, little leaf, just look at the sun and be changed!" The sparrow quickly flew away.

The leaf felt stunned by the sparrow's words. Could it really be true that all she had to do was 'look at the sun and be changed'? She looked down at her dull, brown skin growing drier by the moment. The longer she looked down, the lower her hopes sank.

She was suddenly startled though by another little voice. "What the sparrow says is true," A small ant stopped by the leaf as he held a small crumb on his shoulder. "But you cannot look at the sun and also look at yourself at the same time. If you want to dance in the golden sunlight and be changed by its radiant beams you must be willing to never see your dry brown edges blaze gold or the folds in your skin gleam in the sun's glorious splendor."

The leaf held her breath in a wondrous surprising way as the ant took a few steps closer. "Little leaf, what you gaze at will surely change you, so gaze deeply at the sun and admire his exquisite beauty. Let your little heart be dazzled by the sun's radiant beams. Dance in his warmth, twirl in his splendor, rejoice in his golden light, and never stop gazing upon the sun to see if you are shining, just delight in his radiance." The ant scurried away with his load on his back leaving the leaf in silent wonder.

The leaf shivered a moment and then softly looked up. She gazed deeply and steadily and unflitchingly into the sun's beautiful brilliance. Time stood still as everything else faded before the leaf. Joy poured into the leaf's heart as the golden sunshine filled up her eyes. Then without knowing it, in the light of the sun's glory, the leaf was changed.