Remembering Cassie

I love the idea of continuing to pray for the souls of the people we’ve lost. I lost my dad in March of 2022 after his lifelong battle with addiction. When he was still here, my prayer for him was always the same — that he would find peace in his heart, his mind, and his soul. I prayed for relief from the restlessness, the weight, and the struggle that followed him for so long.

Now, I hold onto the belief that those prayers have been answered in a way I couldn’t fully see at the time. I trust that he is finally whole — no longer fighting, no longer burdened — but fully restored and at peace. There is deep comfort in believing that what I asked for in love during his life has been fulfilled in eternity.

Continuing to pray for him now feels different. It isn’t about asking for healing anymore; it’s about staying connected. It’s about gratitude. It’s about honoring the love between us. My prayers have shifted from pleading for peace to thanking God for it — and asking for continued healing in our family and in my own heart.

Addiction may have been part of his story, but it does not define the fullness of who he was. I choose to remember him not only through the lens of his struggle, but through love — and through the peace I believe now surrounds him.

There is something sacred in still speaking his name, still lifting him up in prayer, still carrying him forward in my heart. And in that, I find comfort.

-Maggie Clark

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.