Finally Being Heard

I fully believe that life is a process, a journey into self-understanding, and that each of us has come here for a purpose and with lessons to learn.  I also believe that we are here to assist each other with this learning by participating in each other’s life dramas. 

One of the most important people in my life drama has been my oldest brother, James Earl Hester, with whom this book is written.  James Earl passed on in September 2000.  He served as an incredible catalyst for my personal growth and understanding.  In 1956, at the age of 29, James Earl had the misfortune of suffering a mental breakdown.   His journey through the deep inner turmoil of mental illness created great pain for him, for me, and for our family.  

This event marked for him a series of traumatic hospitalizations and treatments.  In some ways, my brother became a scapegoat for many family members including me in that he “became the problem” carrying the family shame.  As his sister, I was deeply disturbed when I saw how he was being treated by professionals and others around him.  Yet, being considerably younger, I felt helpless to assist him.  I felt pity, fear, and anger at how he was treated, yet I remained powerless to help him or to speak up. 

Who was James Earl?  What created his difficulties in being in the world in what was considered a “normal” way?  How might James Earl’s message be a message for us all?

Shortly after James Earl’s death, he appeared and spoke to me in a dream.  He declared that he was going to work through me to accomplish something.  I believe that even after his earthly departure into the spiritual realm, he was intent on fulfilling his purpose by working through me to be heard.

What follows is the story of my brothers journey.  It is pieced together from his journal entries and stories, of which he left over 1,300, and includes my memories, as well as a recollection of the events that took place during James Earls life and his last days before he died.  It includes research about his medical records, interviews with family members and close relatives, as well as a whole lot of intuitive guidance from James Earl himself.  The main text is taken directly as he wrote it.  In his own words, he speaks to what he went through emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, and medically, as well as his relationships with family and friends.  In addition, the Appendix includes a chronology of the events of James Earls life, a listing of James Earls "Truisms"; helpful references; and suggestions for the family of a person who is mentally ill and how to treat the mentally ill with dignity.  It is my intention that this book allow James Earl an opportunity to finally be heard.