Kentucky Kaleidoscope

The Drowning

The tragic curse of the Powers lineage did not come to an end as one would hope. Unfortunately, it continued to haunt my family, particularly my mother.

During her young age, my mother recalls a vivid dream that her mother, my grandmother, had. In the dream, she saw her husband's untimely death by drowning. Disturbed by the vision, she woke up with a sense of unease. However, she brushed aside the warning signs and carried on with her day. Tragically, the following weekend, her husband and brother-in-law went on a fishing trip. An accident occurred, causing the boat to capsize and her husband to be thrown into the dark and treacherous waters. Clad in heavy denim overalls and unable to swim, he quickly sank beneath the surface. Despite the desperate efforts of his brother-in-law, it was too late to save him. The loss was devastating, leaving my mother fatherless at the tender age of eight.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, my mother's brother assumed the role of the "man of the house," burdened with responsibilities beyond his years. The funeral itself was a somber affair, marked by my grandmother's overwhelming grief. She became so distraught that she had to be sedated with a shot. While I cannot fully comprehend the societal norms of the 1960s, it seems that sedation and heavy opioid medications were more commonly used during that era. It is possible that a doctor was present at the funeral to administer such sedation, although I cannot say for certain. Witnessing her mother being sedated in front of the whole family added to the already traumatic experience for my young mother, revealing a pattern of struggling to cope with intense emotions like grief and despair.

My mother once shared with me cherished memories of her father. He would take her to the ice cream shop, where they would spend time together talking and playing. She was truly a daddy's girl and played a significant role in leading him to embrace Christianity. After attending a vacation Bible school, she returned home and shared what she had learned with her father, ultimately guiding him to ask Jesus into his heart. Regardless of one's personal beliefs, the role of faith is significant in this story. It shapes the colors and fragments of this family's portrait, sometimes distorting values and exacerbating their struggles.

Sadly, just a month after his spiritual transformation, my grandfather passed away, leaving my mother's family fatherless. In the 1960s, this was a devastating and challenging situation for a woman to be left without a husband and children without a father. I can only imagine the immense difficulties my grandmother faced as she took on the dual responsibilities of providing for her children both financially and emotionally.