DISCLAIMER: There are some topics discussed in this article that may be hard to handle for some.
A whole six pounds and three ounces of joy, Jessica Marie Wright was born. With tiny round dimples that sat along her prim tight mouth and a head full of dark soft hair, the meaning of her name proved to be true. Jessica: Of Hebrew origin, meaning, “God is watching”.
Her eyes were shut tight as she lay still in the presence of so many people that already loved her more than she would ever come to realize.
Peggy “Marie” Clendenon is of average height with shoulder length blonde hair. A pair of brown eyeglasses sits on her nose and a book is almost always in her hands.
On that early June morning, Marie looked at her darling daughter who she was giving up for adoption and saw no resemblance of herself. Her dark hair, the little fingers that clenched tightly into fists and her remarkable facial features that were all strikingly similar to Tom and Debbie Wright, two people of whom had no biological relation to this sweet baby girl. Just as the knowledge of all that was about to happen was settling in, knowing that she would soon have to leave behind not only the baby she just gave birth to, but her trust as well with the Wrights, Jessica Marie opened her eyes. “Her eyes were green just like mine. Just like her brothers, and now, just like her sisters,” Marie explained with a soft yet humble hint of pride. Just a few short days later, Tom and Debbie took home their first child. The house was baby proofed and the closest was filled with little girl clothes; nothing was out of place. The Wrights lived in a quaint little house on the corner of Spit Bubble and Joy, number 124 to be exact. It was a busy street with lots of children and the comfortable sized backyard of the house allowed for plenty of company. *** Marie Clendenon was married at the time she conceived Jessica. Twenty-Seven years old and more often than not, she found herself in difficult situations. She went out with a couple of friends to a club, had a few drinks and had a good time. Even after her friends left, Marie stayed. She needed the night out. She needed a break. It’s not everybody’s instinct to assume the worst. In fact, Marie typically assumed the best. After a long night out, she decided it was time to go back in, and so late that night, she hitched a ride with a guy who was “nice” enough to offer. “I couldn’t breath, I was trying to get whatever was around my head off… and then there was pain.” Looking back, Marie describes herself as reasonably having gone into shock. Who could honestly blame her? She was raped that night; it was cruel and certainly not out of love. “Words don’t explain how I felt. I used to have nightmares about hunting him down in a club and shooting him dead. As far as I know, he is still out there preying on other girls.” *** “Liars.” “Doctors are cruel and sick.” “Pregnancy doesn’t occur out of pain and hatred.” “They’re liars!” Everyday for four months Marie weighed herself, never gaining an ounce. She was in denial and she was in pain. She did eventually come to the conclusion that she was going to keep that unborn child and that she would raise her and love her just like she did for her son. It wasn’t the baby’s fault after all that she was conceived in such a way. But plans to keep the baby quickly swindled downward as the life and well being of unborn baby Jessica were being threatened. “When she told her husband, he threatened to cut me out of her stomach,” Jessica, now 20, said. Marie was treated in a way that no woman should ever be treated. Verbal and mental abuse occurred. Angry threats and evil fits of rage filled their small and sad little home. “I was like damaged. He didn’t want to touch me,” Marie explained. Shortly after the attack, Marie’s husband left her and their son Shawn, although they did not officially divorce until February of 1996. “[S]he could not keep me because of all the hate he had for me…to this day he still hates me. He does not want to meet me,” Jessica said. *** Almost 21 years later, Jessica has grown up to be one of the most beautiful people anyone could meet. She loves her life, she loves her parents and she loves her God. Credit to how Jessica has turned out is due to both Tom and Debbie Wright. These are two people who sacrificed so much of their time to make sure that their first child and only daughter would grow up to be a strong woman of God. Tom and Debbie had known for some time that they were infertile and had often contemplated adoption. They had almost given up hope when Marie called them up concerning the adoption of her baby. They had finally come to peace that they would possibly never have children of their own, and so they went ahead with plans to adopt. It is clear to the whole family that it was the Lord who ordained the adoption and who placed Jessica in a family that would love her so fervently. And it was because of Tom and Debbie’s obedience to the Lord and their patience that they were able to give birth shortly after the adoption of Jessica to their son, Jeff. *** Her family admires her and her friends adore her. Jessica is the kind of example that parents crave for their own children and she is the kind of person that once you meet her, your life is never the same. “She sees the proverbial cup as being two-thirds full. Lately, as she is growing in her relationship with the Lord, her joy and her giving nature is enriched by that. She is effusive in her love for God, trusting that even painful circumstances He will use for good, and focused on sharing her love of Him with others. That attitude encourages me and strengthens my own faith. I admire her very much. I am blessed to be part of her life, to be able to share in all this,” Debbie Wright says with an admiration for her daughter that is simply unmatchable. Jessica is strong willed and for the most part, she shows a confidence that exuberates beyond any set standard of living a life well done. She studies Psychology at Texas A&M, is a youth leader for students at her church and teaches young children gymnastics at Brazos Valley Gymnastics Center. She has a passion for serving others and frequently goes out of her way to ensure that the people around her are happy and comfortable. But what you may not know about Jessica is that sometimes she struggles. “I struggle with wanting to keep everyone happy so they are not disappointed in me or “reject” me.” Like most people who struggle with some type of rejection, Jessica has picked up this insecurity as a result from her past. However, to her parents, Jessica knows that she can find two people eagerly willing to accept her for exactly who she is and she can find two people who she knows will never reject her. “I don’t even realize that I’m not their own child. I actually never even think about it. They have poured so much love and kindness over me,” Jessica said. “My mom is the sweetest. I am a lot different from her in our attitudes and characteristics, but she is still my mom and takes such good care of me. I am most like my dad. I look up to him in so many ways. I am blessed that God gave me such an incredible earthly father. I love my adopted family immensely.” *** Despite the negative and unwanted consequences of knowing that someone wanted to physically remove her from her birth mother's womb, despite knowing that she was put up for adoption so many years ago, and despite the fact that none of this would even be an issue if it weren’t for that one guy who attacked Marie on the way home from the club in 1992, Jessica does not put blame upon anyone. “God has watched over me from day one. He has kept me safe and healthy throughout it all. He knew which peoples lives to place me in to bring Him the most glory. He has blessed me abundantly. I am undeserving and in awe of his great power, love and prevision towards me.” If you are ever blessed with the opportunity to come across Jessica Marie Wright and if you ask her what she would say to her mother's attacker if she had the opportunity, she would simply and proudly declare… “I forgive you.”
On that early June morning, Marie looked at her darling daughter who she was giving up for adoption and saw no resemblance of herself. Her dark hair, the little fingers that clenched tightly into fists and her remarkable facial features that were all strikingly similar to Tom and Debbie Wright, two people of whom had no biological relation to this sweet baby girl. Just as the knowledge of all that was about to happen was settling in, knowing that she would soon have to leave behind not only the baby she just gave birth to, but her trust as well with the Wrights, Jessica Marie opened her eyes. “Her eyes were green just like mine. Just like her brothers, and now, just like her sisters,” Marie explained with a soft yet humble hint of pride. Just a few short days later, Tom and Debbie took home their first child. The house was baby proofed and the closest was filled with little girl clothes; nothing was out of place. The Wrights lived in a quaint little house on the corner of Spit Bubble and Joy, number 124 to be exact. It was a busy street with lots of children and the comfortable sized backyard of the house allowed for plenty of company. *** Marie Clendenon was married at the time she conceived Jessica. Twenty-Seven years old and more often than not, she found herself in difficult situations. She went out with a couple of friends to a club, had a few drinks and had a good time. Even after her friends left, Marie stayed. She needed the night out. She needed a break. It’s not everybody’s instinct to assume the worst. In fact, Marie typically assumed the best. After a long night out, she decided it was time to go back in, and so late that night, she hitched a ride with a guy who was “nice” enough to offer. “I couldn’t breath, I was trying to get whatever was around my head off… and then there was pain.” Looking back, Marie describes herself as reasonably having gone into shock. Who could honestly blame her? She was raped that night; it was cruel and certainly not out of love. “Words don’t explain how I felt. I used to have nightmares about hunting him down in a club and shooting him dead. As far as I know, he is still out there preying on other girls.” *** “Liars.” “Doctors are cruel and sick.” “Pregnancy doesn’t occur out of pain and hatred.” “They’re liars!” Everyday for four months Marie weighed herself, never gaining an ounce. She was in denial and she was in pain. She did eventually come to the conclusion that she was going to keep that unborn child and that she would raise her and love her just like she did for her son. It wasn’t the baby’s fault after all that she was conceived in such a way. But plans to keep the baby quickly swindled downward as the life and well being of unborn baby Jessica were being threatened. “When she told her husband, he threatened to cut me out of her stomach,” Jessica, now 20, said. Marie was treated in a way that no woman should ever be treated. Verbal and mental abuse occurred. Angry threats and evil fits of rage filled their small and sad little home. “I was like damaged. He didn’t want to touch me,” Marie explained. Shortly after the attack, Marie’s husband left her and their son Shawn, although they did not officially divorce until February of 1996. “[S]he could not keep me because of all the hate he had for me…to this day he still hates me. He does not want to meet me,” Jessica said. *** Almost 21 years later, Jessica has grown up to be one of the most beautiful people anyone could meet. She loves her life, she loves her parents and she loves her God. Credit to how Jessica has turned out is due to both Tom and Debbie Wright. These are two people who sacrificed so much of their time to make sure that their first child and only daughter would grow up to be a strong woman of God. Tom and Debbie had known for some time that they were infertile and had often contemplated adoption. They had almost given up hope when Marie called them up concerning the adoption of her baby. They had finally come to peace that they would possibly never have children of their own, and so they went ahead with plans to adopt. It is clear to the whole family that it was the Lord who ordained the adoption and who placed Jessica in a family that would love her so fervently. And it was because of Tom and Debbie’s obedience to the Lord and their patience that they were able to give birth shortly after the adoption of Jessica to their son, Jeff. *** Her family admires her and her friends adore her. Jessica is the kind of example that parents crave for their own children and she is the kind of person that once you meet her, your life is never the same. “She sees the proverbial cup as being two-thirds full. Lately, as she is growing in her relationship with the Lord, her joy and her giving nature is enriched by that. She is effusive in her love for God, trusting that even painful circumstances He will use for good, and focused on sharing her love of Him with others. That attitude encourages me and strengthens my own faith. I admire her very much. I am blessed to be part of her life, to be able to share in all this,” Debbie Wright says with an admiration for her daughter that is simply unmatchable. Jessica is strong willed and for the most part, she shows a confidence that exuberates beyond any set standard of living a life well done. She studies Psychology at Texas A&M, is a youth leader for students at her church and teaches young children gymnastics at Brazos Valley Gymnastics Center. She has a passion for serving others and frequently goes out of her way to ensure that the people around her are happy and comfortable. But what you may not know about Jessica is that sometimes she struggles. “I struggle with wanting to keep everyone happy so they are not disappointed in me or “reject” me.” Like most people who struggle with some type of rejection, Jessica has picked up this insecurity as a result from her past. However, to her parents, Jessica knows that she can find two people eagerly willing to accept her for exactly who she is and she can find two people who she knows will never reject her. “I don’t even realize that I’m not their own child. I actually never even think about it. They have poured so much love and kindness over me,” Jessica said. “My mom is the sweetest. I am a lot different from her in our attitudes and characteristics, but she is still my mom and takes such good care of me. I am most like my dad. I look up to him in so many ways. I am blessed that God gave me such an incredible earthly father. I love my adopted family immensely.” *** Despite the negative and unwanted consequences of knowing that someone wanted to physically remove her from her birth mother's womb, despite knowing that she was put up for adoption so many years ago, and despite the fact that none of this would even be an issue if it weren’t for that one guy who attacked Marie on the way home from the club in 1992, Jessica does not put blame upon anyone. “God has watched over me from day one. He has kept me safe and healthy throughout it all. He knew which peoples lives to place me in to bring Him the most glory. He has blessed me abundantly. I am undeserving and in awe of his great power, love and prevision towards me.” If you are ever blessed with the opportunity to come across Jessica Marie Wright and if you ask her what she would say to her mother's attacker if she had the opportunity, she would simply and proudly declare… “I forgive you.”
Written by: Shae Marie Leitz
