A place of brokenness to a place of spiritual renewal
BY ANTHONY CASTLE
Jessica Clancy’s debut book, The Quest for Family, takes readers through her life journey from a place of brokenness to a place of spiritual renewal. The book explores her struggles from an abusive childhood to a newfound experience of family in adulthood. Jessica lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two children.
“I am very thankful for where my life is now,” Jessica shares. “It’s not been easy. From an early age, God had his hand on me. The Bible tells us we have a purpose and a plan. I’m very thankful for that because if you’ve lived with a lot of suffering and gone through a lot of dark places, it’s easy to give up.”
By her sixth birthday, Jessica’s mum had been married three times. From an early age, she experienced a cycle of neglect and abuse, which continued throughout her childhood. At the age of 12, she discovered that the man she called ‘dad’ was not her biological father. As a child, Jessica was moved across the US many times and exposed to physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect and domestic violence. These experiences of abuse repeated in later years.
“I lived with a boyfriend and went through the same patterns, with no boundaries,” Jessica says. “I could have been robbed at gunpoint or gotten into trafficking. I could have died in random cars driving down the freeway. I could have been homeless, on the street. God provided many people over the years who were his hands and feet. In all the times we moved, God knew what I needed, and so many people filled that role. These people are why I am who I am, they shaped and moulded me. My book really speaks to drawing people’s attention to the needs of others, to be family and community for others.”
Jessica describes her life as a series of challenges and miracles. After having a number of abusive experiences with different stepfathers, Jessica was able to reconnect with her biological father. Writing about these experiences was cathartic; the book a result of the COVID-era and personal loss.
“My husband would make a joke sometimes and say, ‘When are you going to start writing?’” Jessica laughs. “I started to write during COVID after my grandmother passed away. She was my rock. My grandparents knew something was wrong as I was growing up, seeing the dysfunction. As an adult, I would call my grandma weekly and talk to her and process the trauma. She was always supportive of me.
“I wrote a letter to my biological father and met him. Once I found my dad, I learned he didn’t know I had been born. I had all these brothers and cousins I didn’t know about. My life could have been very different.”
The Quest for Family is a real-life fairy tale of faith and family, a memoir of how one person can journey out of trauma and dysfunction. Jessica and her husband have been foster parents for five years (with the book endorsed by their case worker). Jessica shares her story as an example to others, hoping it can help those in similar situations.
“I want to encourage people to help, to consider being a foster parent,” Jessica says. “We didn’t do it for the money; we both had careers. There are a lot of kids and a lot of needs, and you have to know what your limits are in helping. I don’t want people to be afraid to help, though, but you do need to know what you’re getting into.
“Often we look at people and have no idea what they are going through, what they’re facing, and sometimes we write people off. We dismiss value in other people. Everyone deserves a chance; we should all be family and help each other. I want people who go through these things to know it’s not normal, it’s not okay, it’s not your fault. It’s hard to understand, and I want my story to help people connect, to get healing, to talk about it, to not be ashamed, and to bring light to the darkness.”
The Quest for Family book is available from https://www.jessicaclancyperseveres.com/ and retails for $30.60* (paperback) or $13* (Kindle). *Pricing may vary depending on exchange rates.
To read a review of the book, click here
