My Sisters & Me in The Red Sea….Spotlight on Kimula Powell

This is my cousin Kimula Stenson Powell.

I introduce her as a sister, my friend and my cousin, because  indeed  she is such an inspirational sister to me who takes risks like none other. Once when my own (biological) sister and I were having some challenges, Kim took the time to work us through what I consider to be a Red Sea challenge.

A Red Sea Challenge is when we become stuck in our lives and cannot see the promises of God staring us in the face, because we are too close. The depth, or often the weight of our seas ( or life) become overwhelming and we begin to sink . We often face  loneliness or  discomfort and so we run from what we know to be truth; because it often  looks as though we shall drown. At the time, I simply could not imagine living at odds with my sister, but I knew I had to remedy the void I’d felt as a youngster , when I felt all alone.

Kim came to Darryl and I as we were attempting to bond as sisters in adulthood. You know, she was the big sister who was never home, and I was the youngest sister, ( with two boys in the middle) , who often got in our way. My sister was surprised to find me – with Kim’s assistance, during a very transparent conversation one night.

I was struggling with feelings of angst, because my sister Darryl, I felt had abandoned me. I was going through a rough time in my life and  quite frankly, I needed all of my sister. Although I felt as if my sister had always been  there for me, I  didn’t  as though feel  like she always HAD always fully been there for me. And so, I politely told her. With tears in my eyes. And Kim was there to not only dry them, but to  cry with us. There is something about being fully present in relationships and Kimula, just has it.

Kim helped lead us through this marvelous discussion about sisterhood and peace and bringing us into a bond of hope and peace, again. She absolutely led us into the future  that night as one who seemed to have such skill in guiding women down paths unknown. I loved the fact she took the time. We must have talked for several hours, because I cried, Darryl, cried, we laughed and Kim made us love each other more deeply. I found resentment in my heart because there were times during my father’s alcoholism where  Darryl and I remained at a distance, because she  chose to stay way from home and I felt abandoned, because she was often gone from the home  to avoid the  inevitable chaos. She didn’t realize her little sister needed her – and oh so desperately. I found my sister was also vulnerable during that time and she needed someone she could also confide in during that time. She  needed to find a refuge and during that time, she was doing the best she could to cope with our family’s Red Sea Situation. Time away from the home meant she could breathe. She would not be under  the stress and tension.

Truly, this brave soul of a woman named Kimula Powell  - had to value  something deep inside  about women bonding and relationships.  What  I  know for sure  is, Kim always looked up to her “big sis” Darryl, even though Darryl wasn’t “technically” her sister – although I beg to differ.   I believe God creates different kinds of sisterhoods and  being cousins is  simply another kind.  Kim had a chance to experience Darryl at a very needy  teenager time in her life and Darryl was there. Anyone that knows my sister Darryl, knows she carries the mantle of genuine friendliness and warmth. She reminds me so much of my great-grandmother, Mary Traylor and my other grandmothers,Wille Eva McCord and has the humor and sweet smile of my grandmother Leila Mae Stenson.

So I asked her if she remembered that night and if she did, what motivated her help us through this Red Sea?

And here were her answers:

Interestingly, what I remember most about that night was how the two of you prayed and ministered to me! How our union created such a loving and powerful bond; almost an entity unto itself. From that power, I am sure something way more powerful and wiser than me took over, and we were all ushered forward in our growth process. 

This is what I know for sure about Jennifer and Darryl…..

Jennifer gives expression to my innermost “me”, my soul. She mirrors not only my smile, my nose, and our eyes see similarly, but she is able to capture in words my own thoughts that lie restless and wastefully by because I lack her patience and calm. I see my secret self in her so I trust her heart. It’s pure. 

Darryl is the wise and anointed one. Her knowledge about the waves of life transcend human knowing. She has direct access to Source. I am so proud of her example in my life. She was the big sister I had always yearned for, when she lived with my family for a short while, while she was in college in Georgia. She has the “fight-back” rebellious spirit of the 1960′s and the “flower-child” vibe of the 1970′s, and she let me ride with her like I was a “big girl” during my early teens (even though I was several years her junior).  I envied my imagined life that she and Jennifer must have shared as sisters. As the first person in our family to attend college, for me, Darryl was and still is a “superstar”! 

So when these two and I ventured into a conversation about their sisterhood experience, definitely I was intrigued. Unlike how I had imagined, Jennifer and Darryl’s unresolved issues had created a divide that was uncomfortable for them. Over the years, I think, in large part, due to the resources they developed in dealing with parental alcoholism, they both have developed extreme communications skills; listening, expressing, sympathizing and truly receiving criticism, without judgement. There was a common goal throughout that conversation: to love each other and to keep the spirit of God present. And although the discussion was difficult, they trusted the process and allowed it to enfold with boldness and honesty. I was impressed! 

I do not know what my contribution was in that discussion; just a question here or there. My only desire was to be a stand for the love that these two beautiful sisters represent in my life and the lives of many others. I was happy to be present to real sisterhood. It was an honor for me. I walked away spiritually nurtured and hungry for a deeper relationship with God. And I was blessed for the experience.

Advertisement