From the Trailer Park to the Pulpit: Reflections on the Wise and Wacky Sayings of Grandma Esther

By Terry Drew Karanen

A collection of sayings by the author's maternal grandmother, with the wisdom that helped create a life and career in helping others. Included are lessons for the reader to assist in working through self-doubt, finding personal power, and communicating effectively with others. Over 20 photos included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teiwaz Publishing
• Release date: Feb 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781893268074

Terry Drew Karanen

Terry Drew Karanen effectively juggles the careers of writer, licensed social worker, minister and flight attendant. His weekly blog, “Making Sense of Life,” and previous books such as, Meditations for Life! The Wisdom of Women continue to provide inspiration, guidance and personal empowerment.

Book preview

From the Trailer Park to the Pulpit:

Reflections on the wise and wacky sayings of Grandma Esther

By Terry Drew Karanen

From the Trailer Park to the Pulpit:

Reflections on the wise and wacky sayings of Grandma Esther

by Terry Drew Karanen

Published by:  Teiwaz Publishing, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA

Teiwaz Publishing is an imprint of TDKM, LLC

Copyright © 2018 Terry Drew Karanen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form of by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

TerryDrewKaranen.com

Printed in the United States of America

First Published February 2018

Karanen, Terry Drew

From the Trailer Park to the Pulpit:  Reflections on the wise and wacky sayings of Grandma Esther / by Terry Drew Karanen

A collection of sayings by the author’s maternal grandmother, with the wisdom that helped create a life and career in helping others. Included are lessons for the reader to assist in working through self-doubt, finding personal power, and communicating effectively with others. Over 20 photos included.

Cover photo is of Esther in Cincinnati, OH (1946)

ISBN: 978-1-893268-07-4 (eBk)

Table of Contents

Forward

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

Preface

Self-Care:  After me, you go first.

Acceptance:  I may be slow, but I do poor work!

Intention:  You ain’t holdin’ your mouth right.

Daily Living:  Do you feel that way all over or just in spots?

Appearances:  Looks don’t tell the story.

Decisions:  If you can’t drive that thing, pull over and park it!

Leadership:  If you can’t drive that thing, get out and lead it!

Patience:  If you can’t drive that thing, pull over and park it!

Tolerance:  The nice thing about manure . . .

Guilt:  Why? I didn’t smell anything.

Understanding:  The difference between ignorance and stupidity

Reality:  Turn the little critters over

Action:  I’m gonna slap . . .

Procrastination:  Either shit or get off the pot

Fair Warning:  Stick it out and I’ll take it with me!

Communication:  Come ‘n git it ‘fore I throw it t’da hogs!

Individuality:  Just as you say. Not as I do.

Connection:  Get outside and blow the stink off you.

Clarity:  Three’s enough for anybody!

Attitude:  Just because you feel like crap . . .

Mindfulness:  If you can’t be useful, at least be ornamental.

Responsibility:  You do and you’ll clean it up.

Resignation:  You just can’t win for losin’.

Wisdom:  Have a Mint

Wrap-up

About the Author

Other Writings by

Terry Drew Karanen

Empowerment

How to Find Your Vision and Get a Life! Using a vision and mission to create a life worth living

Freedom to Live! Enjoying ease in four areas of life

It’s Safe for Me to Be ...

Meditations for Life! — The Wisdom of Women

Meditations for Life! (Originally published as Treatments for Life!)

Church Organization & Management

Beginning Your Own Work

Humor

The Res Book

Short Stories

The Beverage Service

Blog:  Making Sense of Life

http://blog.terrydrewkaranen.com

Dedicated to

Esther Hedge Fogle McAdams Rowland Noffsinger Earlywine

aka

Grandma Esther

Born April 4, 1909 in Frederick, MD

Died April 21, 1986 in Goleta, CA

GE 1909 Chester & Esther.jpg

Figure 1 The Twins - Esther Hedge and Chester Hill Fogle (1909)

Forward

Whether we are mothers or grandmothers many of us have our own Grandma Esther in our lives. The author, Terry Drew Karanen, who also happens to be my son, captured many of our family emotions through poignant memories.

As he states in this book, my mom, Terry’s Grandma Esther, was never happy, and he’s right. She appeared to be a very happy person, but she wasn’t. Mom had a lot of faults, as we all do. I had some reservations about how Terry would approach these. I’m very proud that he addressed them without apology and with a great deal of respect. For this I’m thankful and feel my mom would be pleased.

Terry has revealed serious lessons in discipline, sadness, loss, love, and so many more subjects, all with lighthearted humor and whimsical laughter. He has recalled memories similar to our own with dignity and in complete honesty.

Thank you, my son. Well done.

Yo Mama, December 2017

GE 2017 Terry and Timi.jpg

Figure 2 Terry and Timi, Oceanside, CA (2017)

Acknowledgments

Grandma Esther must be acknowledged first and foremost. Without her this book wouldn’t exist. I believe I am the man I am today in large part because of how she lived her life. She taught me by example and without apology. I’m grateful for her daughter – that would be my own mother, Timi Ruiz – who reviewed my manuscript for historical accuracy ... and a few edits. Explaining my grandmother’s actions required a bit of her history. What I didn’t anticipate when this project began was how much of my own history and that of the rest of my family would need to be told as well. More than once I pressed the pause button to ask myself just how much I should, or could, reveal about myself or others. My mother took this all in stride and stood behind me in such revelations. She also supplied me with most of the family photos, trusting them to my care during the production of this book.

Dr. Maureen Hoyt edited this book and coined the phrase Estherisms for all the sayings of Grandma Esther. We have been friends and colleagues from before the beginning of our ministerial careers and I am honored that she agreed to be part of this project. I expect my readers will appreciate her skill in editing my sometimes disjointed thoughts into a readable piece of work. How she did this and still retained my unique voice is a feat I don’t quite understand, but grateful for beyond belief.

There are a number of other people in my life who have been there for me in various ways through this process:  Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones, who continues to be my mentor, colleague, and friend; Dr. Edwene Gaines, a woman of power in my life whose down-to-earth honesty continues keep me in integrity; Rev. CC Coltrain, my prayer partner, friend, and colleague who helps keep me sane on a weekly basis; Rev. Michelle Wadleigh and Rev. Suellen Miller, both ministerial colleagues and friends who have the unique capability of showing up via voice or text at precisely the moment I need them most; Helen King, a wise woman of power and presence who is not nearly old enough to be my grandmother, but lovingly allows me to see her as the Grandmother Energy I love having in my life; and, my two husbands, Paul Foltz and Kevin Wagner, who continue to put up with my dyslexic, ADHD-type behavior, metaphysical beliefs, and multi-faceted careers on a daily basis, all the while providing grammar advice served up with unabashed criticism when necessary, and consistent loving support.

Finally, I feel the need to acknowledge four professionals I’ve never met, but whose guidance, encouragement, and wisdom have not only aided me in creating this book, but also continue to provide fuel for my brand and greater work:  Marie Forleo, who taught me it’s perfectly acceptable to be a multi-faceted entrepreneur, and whose videos, writing, and emails continue to remind us that The world needs that special gift that only you have; Michael Hyatt, whose best-selling book Platform:  Get noticed in a noisy world, and many video programs have taught me how to create my own brand and web presence; Jeff Walker, author of the best-selling book Launch:  An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live The Life Of Your Dreams and creator of the Project Launch Formula, whose writing and videos have educated me in marketing and promotion; and, Tony Robbins, author of numerous best-selling books, and whose Money Master the Game:  7 simple steps to financial freedom, helped me to make sense of the business side of my work, continuing to create financial stability in my professional and personal life.

To each person mentioned in this section, with more appreciation that you can imagine:  Thank you!

Terry Drew Karanen

Author’s Note

This book builds on the history of Grandma Esther, our family, and me. However, the order in which you choose to read the chapters should be inconsequential. If you find yourself drawn to a particular chapter, go with it. If something is historically unclear, know it was probably explained or elaborated on in an earlier section.

When I use the term God is mean a power that I feel is greater than me, but that I and all other humans are expressions of. God is the ocean; we and all else we see, and don’t see, are the drops of water. As such, I believe in a user friendly and non-judgmental universal order that responds to us. Other terms for this might be, Divine Love, Universal Consciousness, Goddess, or anything else that might fit into your spirituality or religious upbringing. A power greater than us could mean science or a group of people that is held in esteem or revered. In any case, please suspend any judgment or residual stuff you may be dealing with from childhood or recent church, or religious dogma. Take what works for you; leave the rest.

I believe in some metaphysical absolutes or universal laws that work for us the same way physical laws work. I believe our actions create our reality, and that we have power over the conditions we experience. I believe in the Law of Cause and Effect, and that what we experience is done unto us as we believe it to be. I believe in the power of the mind (personal) and Mind (universal) to affect change in our lives. I explain this now only to help you clarify what the heck I might be talking about, if what you are reading seems off-the-wall. Okay, granted, a LOT of what you read in this book is going to be off-the-wall, but that’s more about who Grandma Esther was and who I am. So, if these concepts are new to you, I invite you to consider them as possibilities. Do your own research and find out more about how they are taught in all religions, as well as in many secular methods for creating success in all areas of our lives.

Finally, though perhaps it should be first, is my reference to a form of affirmative prayer. The method I use and teach was developed by Ernest Holmes and called spiritual mind treatment. If God or a Higher Power doesn’t figure into your life, then prayer may not be something you consider to be necessary. This, however, is exactly why spiritual mind treatment is perfect for you especially!

Spiritual mind treatment is not a petition to a far-off deity, begging for something that He (or She) might or might not grant to us depending on His (or Her) mood of the day, or whether we have successfully adhered to some book of rules, like a Bible. Rather, it’s a scientific approach to aligning our own thinking with a positive approach to life. This goes back to being the primary cause to our own experience, based on the concept that we live in a user-friendly universe that responds to our desires. For a more detailed explanation of this, search Centers for Spiritual living to further investigate how to create a spiritual mind treatment for your own use.

Preface

Igrew up in a trailer park from the time I was five months old until I was in middle school, what we called junior high in 1969. That’s when we moved into a house, a home not attached to a movable foundation. I did not grow up in a mobile home estate community. Nor was our community a neighborhood of modular homes.

It was a trailer park.

We had a ten-foot wide by fifty-foot long, two-bedroom trailer built by Nashua, a very popular manufacturer of trailer homes at that time in the late 1950s. At least that’s what we had while I was growing up in Carpinteria, and then Goleta, California. Back then, trailers were moveable, and we relocated from Carpinteria (or Carp if you’re from that area) to Goleta when I was in the third grade.

Actually, we didn’t live in Goleta. Our post office address was Goleta, which is now a city, but it wasn’t then. The area we lived in was Ellwood, which is now part of Goleta, and now a city, but then you already knew that because I just told you.

Before we go any further here and you think I’m either mimicking or channeling Ellen Degeneres (I could SO be her understudy for Dory in Nemo) or Kristin Chenoweth (I could never be that cute), I should probably tell you I have been told by a therapist friend I have undiagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I don’t suffer with or suffer from ADHD. It appears I manifest the symptoms of it, or so I’m told by my loved ones. Some of these loved ones are on medications, though I