Roxanne Dubarry Poet Prose

Used to be's just aren't anymore at all

Just how many of you have every heard these olden times colloquial expression that used to be very popular inside of my immediate family? Used to be just aren't any more. It's like closing the barn door after the horse has already bolted.  But we changed all of that; it's like closing the back porch door after the dog has already bolted.

What were my Uncle Joe's favorite idioms, that maybe parents  taught him and he taught my mother and I?  "Don't  sweat the small stuff." "And give them snooze juice (chewing tobacco juice.)

"Uncle Joe, what do you mean by don't sweat the small stuff? It seems to be that most of the stuff that happens is large and not small stuff.?

"Roxanne, if you never turned any thing into a large circumstance, it will always be small stuff." a paraphrase.

What about this one? "Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill or don't count your chickens until they hatch?" These old tried and true corn ball sayings will most likely die out with my fellow baby boomers generation even though they were around a lot longer than 1954. 

Here's one from the book of Proverbs I do believe? "Raise up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

"Father's do not provoke your children to wrath." "Honor thy father and thy mother in order for  you to enjoy long lives (on the face of the earth.)

"Come unto me all of ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and  lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. 

This is one of my favorites from the book of Joshua's and his farewell address. I have this saying posted outside of my apartment. "Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Thou shall love the  Lord thy God will all of thy heart, thy soul and thy mind and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

And a lawyer asked Jesus who was his neighbor?

There was a Jewish man traveling on the road to Jericho and now this road was infamous for thieves and robbers to find their victims there.  They beat him up and stole all that he had and left him for dead.  Two Jewish religious leaders passed him by on the other side, cause having any contact with a dead body meant: They would become ceremonially unclean and could not participate in their feast's

Have you ever wondered where the term the good Samaritan came from or Franklin Graham's non profit charitable organization Samaritan's purse came from?

But a Samaritan man came alone and he: dressed the mans' wounds and put him on his own animal and took him to an inn.  And paid his inn's bill and he said that if he owed any money, he 
would pay it on his return trip.  Now the Samaritans and the Jews were ancient enemies at that time which makes this Biblical account even that much more fascinating. 

When the lawyer said he understood, Jesus told him, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."

"A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I first have loved you. You see I gave my life and not just half of my life.  But I gave all of my life for (or to you but I can't remember)
"Greater love hath no man than that who is willing to lay down his life for his friends."

"Love your enemies do good to those who spitefully use and abuse you and you shall heap coals of fire on their heads."  He was not talking about actual coals of fire it was a metaphor He was using.

All of my love in Christ Jesus,
Roxanne Lea Dubarry
Roxy Lea 1954/October Country.
October 19, 2025

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