Paraclete

By Jane K. Kretschmann

Not as a ghost come to startle us in-
            to submission or scare us from our sin,
but as a mother, after her child cries
            from injury while misbehaving, sighs,

applies an ointment, kisses the hurt place,
            then gently, firmly looking face to face,
again teaches the truth of how to live,
            promising to always be near to give

help, comfort and support, before she sends
            the child to its father to make amends—
just so the Holy Spirit intercedes
            and advocates for us in our needs.

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Serenity and Strength
By Jane Collin
(Watercolor)