Measuring Post

On the front porch of the old house was a post, in the center to support the porch. It was four sided. We called it the measuring post.

When Joseph Lewis Jr. was born , my Dad and Mom were so happy. After loosing their first born, Odie Lloyd, they were so thrilled to have a little boy. My Dad's first family were all grown and gone and this was his first little boy by my mother.

They gave him everything and did everything for him. Dad decided they needed to record his growth so he decided to mark his height on the post each year to see how much he had grown.
Every year on his birthday they would stand him up against the post and mark his height.

Several years passed and they had another little boy. They named him Artie Hansel. They did the same for him.
They moved to another side of the post and wrote his name at the top and marked his height.Now two sides of the post were marked.

After a few more years, another little boy came along, he was named Aaron Gomer. The same held for him. His name was added to the third side of the post, marking his height also.

After a few more years, Surprise! A little girl was born into the family. Her name was Emily Charlene, Only one side of the post was left so they put her name and height on it.
No more sides of the post. Huh-oh… Well I guess they took that into consideration because I was the last. Probably after they had me, they were afraid to have anymore, afraid they would get another like me. No one family should have more than one.

Each year instead of looking forward to birthday gifts, which we usually didn't get, we looked forward to backing up to the measuring post to see how much we had grown, and to hear Daddy say, "My aren't you a big boy, or girl," whichever was the case.

Quite often I would look at the post and see how much bigger Hansel or Gomer was than I. I would back up to the post and stretch to see if I could be as tall as they were.

Sometimes when Dad or Mom would say, "No you can't go with them, You aren't big enough." I would wish and wish that I could grow quickly so I could do the same things, big kids did.

I suppose I would measure just about every day. I'd say," Daddy come, look and see how much I've grown." Of Course he'd say, "Yes my big girl is growing up".

It was strange that some years, it seemed that we would grow a foot and other times we would hardly grow at all. I'm sure Mother and Daddy thought that we grew quite fast because it seemed that the boys overalls were up past their ankles and my dresses were too short all too soon. Of course too short for my dresses meant, to Mother, anyplace above my knees. Mustn't let your knees show. How could they show anyway wearing brown cotton stockings. Couldn't let my arms show either, had to have on long sleeved dresses. No wonder I didn't have any boyfriends, they couldn't even see me for the long pigtails, long stockings, long sleeves and long dresses. All they could see was my face and I was so bashful that I usually had it down. Could have been the Asaphetida in the bag that I had to wear around my neck to prevent colds that scared them off. It smelled so bad that they didn't dare get near.

Well so much for my musings. The old post stood through every one of us growing up and held the record of our growth. When mother sold the place to Jones and Pinkerton Butane Company, they tore down the old house and set a huge butane tank there. I suppose the old post was thrown away. I wish I had had sense enough to have saved it, but hind sight is better than fore sight.

Probably our measuring stopped when Dad died in 1948. Mother was too busy trying to make a living for us kids to worry about measuring us.

Although it's been over 50 years since my last measurement on that old post, it seems like only yesterday. I would like to go back to that old post and hear Dad say, "My Charlene how much you have grown."

I'm looking forward to hearing these words one of these days when I get to heaven and hear my spiritual father say," Well done thy good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord. Matt.25-21
According to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. Rev.21-17 **

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The Measuring Post