Five Minute Friday: Red -

From Lisa-Jo Baker, the Gypsy Mama: "On Fridays around these parts we like to write. Not for comments or traffic or anyone else's agenda. But for fun, for practice, for joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker. We love to just write without worrying if it's just right or not. For five minutes flat."

Today's prompt: Red. 

~ Go ~ 

Last night I thought I hurt a friend. The worry and grief was instantaneous. I wrote, she wrote back, I wrote, she wrote. On her side, it was a much lesser thing, but my heart wouldn't let it be that way. In one fell swoop, I was wrong, and the world all went wrong with it. 

I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes, and tears began to fall. 

It doesn't take much to make me cry. It hasn't for a long time. 

In the end, it really was close to nothing, and we are just fine.
We are honest friends, and honest friends need to get things out sometimes, and that is just how it should be. It really wasn't a huge deal. 

But suddenly, just that little tip of the iceberg, and you know it, everything came down. :) 

"Lord", I whispered "... life feels like a sucker punch and I can't breathe from it."

Photo taken November 2011 ~ Savannah, GA

Because Red is the color of the roses stark against the snowy white of the whole world, the day they laid her down and said goodbye for now. 

Red is the color of hot, hard, frustrating prayer that seemingly goes nowhere because God said no. 

Red is the color of pain and glory mixed together when you realize how broken you were and how desperately you need a Savior,
you said "I'm sorry" and He forgave....again. 

Red is the color of the sunsets that make me long for Heaven and no more pain. 

Red is the color of our Country's blood on a flag that waves over broken, needy, aching people. 

Red is the color that flashes on the sign to tell you: Stop. No. Not okay. 

but Red is the color of blood turned to white, of pain to glory, of sin turned to purity, of grace given to me. 

And so Red is the color of love. Burning bright and never failing. 

~ Stop ~ 

Y'all. Join up sometime over at Gypsy Mama, you will love it. Thanks always for reading and loving on me. 

With love always,

~ Jean Marie ~