The Sabbath Prayer
Dad, Frank J. Surface, passed away on October 4, 2011. Never has the pain ceased, it is a deep indescribable ache within my soul.
While dad was here he wrote articles and studied the bible. This blog is where he placed most of his works. I made a promise to him to keep his works alive and to carry on what he had started.
I feel as if dad has been guiding me along the way through the study of what he wrote, using his ideas while on my own studies, and by reminiscing of the way dad did things.
I remember dad listening to music, an unusual music but never paid much mind to it. Then a few months since his passing I asked my sister if she would send me all his music. In a nice notebook were sleeves which held eight CDs each with a total of 176 CDs. Dad selectively picked each song by fishing through the virus ridden web-site of Lime Wire. Many times his computer crashed and he couldn’t understand why. Recently I’ve ripped all the CD’s unto my computer and have backed them up on my external hard drive. I’ve loaded a few into my iphone and have started listening to them. You have to grow a feel for them. Then using google and YouTube I’ve discovered what several of these songs are. They are Jewish in nature and reflect an epic spiritual journey. I suppose it were these songs which brought about the muse in Dad.
Please enjoy this catchy song I never knew until today. Dad must have been deeply seated with God. I wish dad was still here…
I’m so sorry to hear of Frank’s passing, but at the same time over joyed that he is at home with the Lord.
Thank you Carol for your condolences for my dad. I’ve read back into the archives of comments and see you and dad conversed quite a bit about this and that. I understand you have suffered loss of both your parents and have struggled through life, much as dad did.
Dad enjoyed his work of presenting God’s Word in his unique fashion. This and his adopted daughter is what kept him going. You sharing your life and thoughts through discourse meant the world to him. For so many years dad wrote and wrote and had no one to listen to him. On dad’s 78th birthday my wife, Anna, gave this blog to my dad and through email taught him how to use it. Dad struggled with it, but it gave him a means to get all his work out. Dad died exactly two years from his first post on this blog. He actually made a post on the day he died. A year before he died I had written a piece about his life which made him proud to have his legacy recorded. Every day, one year exactly from his legacy recording dad put a special signature line to each of his posts. Somehow I think he knew his time was quickly approaching. The last few months before he died I let dad know I had all his works and will do my best to keep them going long after he past. This meant a lot to him.
This is what I am trying to do, but just like dad, in my own unique way. For one thing I don’t have a firm belief other than believing God as a Santa Claus, Wise Wizard Looking type of aged fellow whom wouldn’t hurt a hair on my head or that of my children or of their children. However as I read the bible for really the first time I’m getting confused by the harsh things God did to people and by an impossible law he gave to people. I’ve seen this type of thing in the work force where management would set someone up for failure, never understood this sort of thinking. I want to love God, but it seems unreal for such an emotion. I feel more like I should be a loyal servant to a mighty being who does what He does for whatever reason He does it. I understand the law and works is a done deal supposedly, but yet you are not to have an evil thought or be envious or a host of other things now because all is conditional, very conditional. The way I see it you can only try your hardest and hope for the best which is not promised. Dad always believed in better safe than sorry, but Dad loved us children and would have never hurt us, especially as a wise old man that he was; why would God? However, dad was also troubled by these very same thoughts I have about how God has worked, but dad loved God very much. Dad was able to dismiss all the negativity with a shrug of his shoulders and go on loving God very much. Dad feared God very much as well. I never feared my dad. I respected him and loved him very much, but never feared him. I don’t understand this fear factor in the creator. Seems weird to be afraid of the one you love.
Oh well I have a lot to learn Carol. I will be re-introducing dad’s works over the years along with my posts God willing. Dad left two un-puplished books behind and I am re-typing them now. There is one called the “The Ultimate Plan” and another called “A Bony Needle-Pointed Finger”. My idea is to put them into Kindle formatt to make them easily available. They are a deep discourse totally researched and scripture based. I’m not sure on how to actually publish them for some of the content would certainly raise the ire of folks and possibly not qualify the books for publication. Dad wrote as he believed and did not polish over anything and I respect him for this, however the quidelines of the publishing places would not condone some of what he has written. I will type them and save them as original manuscripts. However, for publication I may have to change a few things in a way which will not take entirely away from how he presented it. Not sure exactly how I will do this.
Just like dad I have spent time in the Air Force and will retire soon from the Post Office just as he had. Never knew how much I loved dad until he was gone. Now I hurt. I at least have this blog of his to help me with the grief, very theraputic. Maybe I will learn and grow and be able to carry on Surface Reflections for years to come…
Preston M. Surface Dec., 10, 1955 until ??????????