As I reflect on my birthday which was on March 27, I am reminded of the book, The Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, written by Stephen Covey back in 2004. He wrote that as members of the human family, we share the universal need to "live, love, learn, and leave a legacy." It is not uncommon even now to see that quote on wall hangings, t‐shirts, and other inspirational materials. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of our nation, writing as Poor Richard in Poor Richard's Almanac (what I would call the "internet" of his day) said it a little more bluntly back in 1738:

If you wou'd not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten

Either write things worth reading,

Or do things worth the writing.

Tommy Lofton, I am proud to say, had similar thoughts in mind when he developed the system of beliefs on which Lofton Staffing was founded. "Remember...life is a temporary assignment. Learn to love Mondays. Have a good day; you won't get it back. People should feel better when they leave than when they came. Treat others the way you want to be treated. We are all called to serve. When we help others, we help ourselves. Why we do what we do...for the joy of it."

These principles were reinforced for me when my granddaughter, Oliva Rose, who will be 16 on March 29, just two days after mine, celebrated her fourth birthday! As we both anticipated our upcoming birthdays back then, Olivia asked thoughtfully, "Why are you old, Mamere?" "Because I've had too many birthdays," I answered. "But I don't feel old," I quickly added. "I feel young inside." "Well, your face is old," she said, matter-of-factly. Later as she was sitting at the computer with Papa, she took his hand in hers, felt it and said, "Your skin is old Papa, just like Mamere's." A few days later she followed up on our conversation by telling me with happy enthusiasm, "You're old, Mamere, and when you get old you die, but don't worry about it. You'll just go to heaven to be with Jesus!"

Believe it or not, that made me happy! In just a few words, Olivia, or Via as she calls herself, had captured the legacy of faith and the hope of Easter that had been handed down to Tommy and me from our grandparents and parents and now was being passed on by my children to their children. I immediately thought of the picture album I had received for my birthday a few years before from my sister‐in‐law, Charlotte.  It had pictures of the old "dog‐ trot" house, which is now gone, and the land homesteaded by my great grandfather who lived to be 95 back in the 1800's in Winn Parish.  I spent so many Easters there as a child. I could almost hear my Great Grandfather's voice asking my aunt to play one more verse of "Amazing Grace" on the beautiful old organ, and I saw in my mind's eye the inspirational books that my Great Aunt Mary Lou checked out from the bookmobile each week that gave her strength as she cared for her aging and paralyzed father. I recalled my Uncle Hilton's voice as he read to me and my cousins his favorite chapter in the Bible, John 17, paying special attention to the part where he said that Jesus had prayed for me over 2,000 years before.  It's now my favorite chapter.  I also thought once again of one of my favorite poems by Edgar Guest (1926) called, "Sermons We See". Here are just a few of the lines:

"I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day,

I'd rather one should walk with me than merely show the way...

And the lectures that you deliver may be very wise and true:

But I'd rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,

But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live."

Happily these timeless principles are being passed on not only in our family but in Lofton Staffing, as well. For Tommy Lofton who began the company on a foundation of serving others and working to get better every day, there could be no greater legacy.

About Lofton: Founded in 1979, Lofton Services offers clients the best of all worlds. We provide the responsive, personal service and flexibility of a small local firm while having the technology, resources, and infrastructure to deliver the benefits of the biggest players in our industry. Lofton Staffing can deliver the right people, with the right skills, right when you need them. Contact us today.