Always Be My Baby!

God's Greetings Pattern Realm! This blog deals with a conclusion to a miniseries I'm doing on my audio podcast as a critical part of a major series I'm working on called Pattern Enterprise. Of course the miniseries is called Lessons From Mama Late summer early Fall 1996, I had just moved to another part of Lubbock Texas to be closer to campus. I thought all was going well, I could recapture the dreams of mu undergraduate days, in graduate school. But reality was slapping me in the face! The dream was becoming a nightmare as I struggled with bipolar depression. Mentors around me were telling me to tough it up as pressures in school and personally were mounting upp. Thoughts of suicide eventually set in. At the same time I found out that my Uncle who is the same age as I, and a friend of the famiy were both in the hospital. But by September 14, 2006 I couldn't take it anymore. I got dispondant and disoriented, and a grownskeeper took me to the hospital. Not in my right mind I refused to tell my mother. But after being on medication for a few days I wanted the hospital to let my mother know. But it was against hospital policy. Within a few days I called her. But she was stressed and worried wandering which exact hospital I was in at Lubbock, it had 2 hospitals at the time. She contacted an ex friend of mine named Jim Bob who pointed her to the right direction. One day I was having lunch at the hospital when a nurse burst into the room. "It's against hospital policy, but your brother's on the phone, and it[s urgent." He politely raked me over the coals and rightfully so! My mother was ready to load up, head for Lubbock and track me down. I told him I knew about my uncle's hospitalization along with a family friend and I didn't want to stress her out. Again, he hammered away at my straw man's argument. An hour later when I got out of a mental health class I called my mother. "James Anthony Hendrick Jr don't you ever do that to me again! I need to see you in a few wees so that I know you're ok<. I don't care how old you are, you'll always be my baby." Later on that day I went out for a fresh air break with some of the patients when one of them had a mother visiting who overheard my conversation. "Let me tell you something, son." the woman said, "I'm here for my daughter because I love her. No matter how old you get to your mama you will always be their baby." This lesson hits down deep still. My mother and I have always had a close friendship, and it still goes on today. I will always treasure the lessons I have learned from her.