Dad, Can I Help?

I've included this rhyming story before but I can't pass up using again on this day, the first Father's Day without my dad. He passed away in January and all of his family areis missing him today. But he wouldn't want us to be droopy-eyed about him missing this day with us. I had him for 65 years and even he would probably say, that's long enough. And then there were three generations: My son, Chris, and his son, Dylan, with me hiking Bodega Head in California last week on June 8.

Cherish the fathers who are still with us, wherever they may be. And hold in your hearts the fathers we can only remember this day. May the Lord bless you and keep you all and may we all be sons with whom our fathers are well pleased.

Dad, Can I Help?
By Bill Kirk

The long weekend beckoned—
I’d written my list.
And I was quite sure
There was nothing I’d missed.

No yard work distractions,
No carpools to do.
The weekend was mine
Until I was through.

I had all my hardware
And lumber galore.
I’d work on the deck;
Replace an old door.

I set up my saw
And tested my drill.
With anticipation
I felt quite a thrill.

“No holding me back,”
I thought, a bit smug.
Then all of a sudden,
I felt a slight tug.

Stopping my work,
I turned with a glance
To see my small son
Grab the leg of my pants.

What could I do?
Did I have any choice,
When my little son asked
In his little boy voice?

“Dad, can I help?
I just need some glue
And maybe a nail,
Some wood and a screw.”

“I’ll be very careful
And do what you say.
I promise, I’ll try
To stay out of your way.”

I felt the deck slipping
Right out of my grasp.
And the door would remain
On its very last gasp.

We built a small boat
With a deck and a sail
Out of two bits of wood,
An old rag and a nail;

Then battled some pirates
And found chests of gold.
With each new adventure
A story was told.

We sawed and we hammered
Until we were done
With all of our work—
Like father, like son.

I never did finish
My list on that day,
Instead I spent time
With my son, just to play.

And those weekend projects?
Sometimes they must wait.
For some life appointments,
A Dad can’t be late.

Two Nights, Two Skunks And The Boldness Of Noah

Have you ever noticed there are literally hundreds of references to water in the Bible: The parting of the Red Sea, turning water to wine, the washing of feet, baptism in the river, Jesus walking on water, the woman at the well—you get the picture. Water seems to be everywhere in the Bible. I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising, what with three-quarters of the earth being covered with it. Then there was the Great Flood when all four quarters of the earth were covered. Let’s face it. If we get a bit concerned about reports the earth’s oceans are rising a few inches, think of the headline when water covered Everest over 29,000 feet above sea level! Some things are way beyond imagination. We’re talking epic proportions here!


Which naturally brings me to skunks. Yep. That’s right. Skunks. OK. So, my transitions could use a little work. But think of it. Using what can only be described as his extraordinary negotiating skills, Noah managed to get two skunks onboard the Ark—and keep them INSIDE for over 40 days and 40 nights. And no one in the family was thrown overboard.

But wait! There's more! The 40 days and 40 nights don't begin to tell the story. According to Genesis Chapters 7 and 8, the elapsed time Noah, his family and all the animals were on the Ark was over a year. Is that impressive or what? Covering the earth with water was indeed miraculous. But I can’t help but think hosting two skunks on a boat and living to tell about it was pretty amazing in its own right. As a matter of fact, in some small way I had my own epiphany about such acts of faith just last week….

Years ago, we converted our heating/cooling system to gas, which was supposedly cheaper and more efficient than our electric system. If memory serves, “brilliant” was the humblest of words I could find to describe my stroke of genius at the money we were going to save. In retrospect, there appears to have been one minor shortcut during the installation. But how was I to know there could possibly be a downside to running the gas pipe under the house and out through one of the crawl space vents rather than poking a hole through the stucco? Besides, the wire mesh patch job the installers did seemed secure at the time.

Fast forward to one evening last week, my wife and I were tuned in to “Jeopardy” and “Wheel Of Fortune”—What? You thought we would be watching “Masterpiece Theatre”? Suddenly, we heard a strange bumping and scratching. The location of the sounds was rather non-specific except they seemed to be coming from under the family room. As it turns out, I should have been a bit more diligent about inspecting the aforementioned wire mesh patch which had apparently worked its way loose over the years.

Somehow, an enterprising skunk had found its way under the house below the family room. There was also the slightest hint of something ominous in the air. If you have ever wondered how air tight the ductwork in your house is, wonder no more. It ain’t. And did I mention skunk mating season is in February and March? Fortunately, the gestation period in skunks is 60 days. So, time was on my side.

The next three days and nights were a blur, mostly due to the tears in my eyes. I was Trapper Bill by night and a critter relocation specialist in rubber gloves and a HazMat suit by day. If you are wondering, my wife did mention Animal Control once or twice—OK it was several times. But why would any self-respecting Eagle Scout resort to such tactics. Besides, just think of the money I saved—a Scout is Thrifty and all that. Admittedly, buying febreeze by the gallon isn’t cheap and salvaging my Honda Accord after transporting skunks in my trunk is still a work in progress. But I really feel the skunks and I have cleared the air in our relationship.

GUARDIAN ANGEL PUBLISHING CHILDREN'S BOOKS RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2012

After a stretch without blogging, I'm back---just in time to announce that a pile of terrific children's books was released in September by Guardian Angel Publishing.  I'm happy to say that my Book 6 ("The Skin We're In") in THE SUM OF OUR PARTS series is among those books.

Keep reading the thumbnails below and click on each link for more information about the books.  Or go to the Guardian Angel Publishing Bookstore (http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/catalog.htm ) to browse through hundreds of books by other talented authors and artists at Guardian Angel Publishing.  Enjoy!

BENJAMIN JAY WAS A BULLY
Animals & Pets
by Emma Glover, artist KC Snider
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/benjamin-bully.htm
When the fledglings of Bird Garden extend their wings in friendship to Benjamin Jay, he must choose the dove's way or the bully's path?

BLUE PAINT
Chapbook for Tweens
by Liam Maher, artist Bonnie Everett-Hawkes
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/blue-paint.htm
John shares his story of a painting job he had as a young man and the grumpy little man who came by to trick him out of fifty dollars.

CAMILLE'S JOURNEY MASTER & MUSICAL SCORES
Angelic Harmony
by Dixie Phillips, Sharon Phillips, Lucy Robbins, Leslie Troyer
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/camille.htm
Spend your Christmas with Camille, an orphaned camel, as she leads three zany wise men and their bossy camels to the newborn King in Bethlehem. A Christmas musical-includes play, lyrics and musical scores.

CAPTAIN COURAGE & THE FEAR-SQUISHING SHOES
Littlest Angels
by Stacey A Marshall, artist Michelle Morse
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/captain-courage1.htm
The new girl at school shrivels until a unique superhero swoops in to the rescue, demonstrating specific ways to make self-confidence and courage soar.

JUST FOR TODAY
Littlest Angels
by Kevin McNamee, artist Marina Movshina
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/just-today.htm
You'll love this gentle rhyming picture book about spending quality time with kids. All that's needed is a little time, a lot of imagination and plenty of love.

LITTLE ISAAC'S BIG ADVENTURE
Littlest Angels
by Tracy Helixon, artist Jack Foster
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/little-isaac.htm
What if you could swing so high that you landed on a cloud and traveled through the sky? Isaac did! Join him on this adventure.

MYTH-BUSTING COLUMBUS
Academic Wings
by Kelly Bakshi
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/columbus.htm
Columbus convinced royals to fund his voyage; he forged new water routes and introduced Europe to a new world. He also lied to his crew, murdered and enslaved Native Americans, and never realized where in the world he actually was.

ONE FAMILY'S CHRISTMAS hardcover edition
Academic Wings
by Mary Jean Kelso, artist KC Snider
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/1-familys-xmas.htm
After a family's star for their Christmas tree is destroyed they resurrect the treetop angel carried across The Oregon Trail by a young pioneer and bring the story of The Christmas Angel full circle.

THE SKIN WE'RE IN: TSOOP series Book 6
Academic Wings
by Bill Kirk, artist Eugene Ruble
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/skin-tsoop.htm
An anatomical rhyme which describes all the names and uses of the different tissues in the skin, including factoids and extra educational pages.

THE TOWN OF MASQUERADE
Littlest Angels
by Jack Samuels, artist KC Snider
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/masquerade.htm
Explore an unusual town full of colorful expressions and childlike charm where two friends realize that the perfect mask might be easier to make than expected.

When One Rejection Deserves Another

Don't some rejections just irritate the muse right out of you?  I'm talking about the ones that don't tell you anything about what you wrote.  Perhaps the sender is just being kind in a silent sort of way.  But still....

Temptation Resisted
By Bill Kirk

In the context of the writing craft,
Some rejections
Are easier to take than others.

The best ones are those
That leave reason for hope
Or even those that
Harshly jab at one’s sensitivities
To clearly make a much needed point.

Those are the ones
I can live with and learn from.
For at least I know
Where I stand
And have an idea
Where I need to move.

Others without a hint of
Having been humanly handled,
Aren’t worth the paper
The reasons for rejection aren’t written on.
Why, that’s a non-rejection plain and simple.

Personally, those are the ones
I mentally reject in return,
Fully satisfied with having
Saved a stamp by not sending a follow-up letter,
Although sometimes I’m tempted.

Poem A Day Challenge, Day Seven

This is a short poem, the prompt for which was write a poem about two people interacting with out talking.  As it turns out this prompt arrived on April 7, my wife's birthday.  The poem is whistful and hopeful, conjuring up all the other feelings someone has when "the one" appears, if only briefly.

There She Is
By Bill Kirk

There she is.

Across the crowded platform

Stands a slip of a girl

In a whisp of a summer dress,

Swirling with the coming and going

Of each passing train.

Which one will be hers, he wonders?

The boy gushes a hope-filled glance in her direction.

And she, sensing an extrasensory broadcast

As if from a distant universe,

Scans the panoply of possible senders—

First, around her; then at a distance.

For one brief moment, eye contact.

His hopeful stare and slight upward nod,

Rewarded almost imperceptively

By her barely uplifting eyebrow

And the slightest curl of a smile.

In that moment she is his.

Then she is gone.