As Mother’s Day approaches, we take a look at a poem written by Ruth Bell Graham on motherhood, as well as reflections from Franklin Graham on his mother.

“I’ll never forget the first time my mother heard me preach. Standing at the podium and seeing her in the shadows, I realized just how much that moment represented an answer to her faithful prayers.

To follow in my father’s footsteps, I had to go through my mother’s knee prints.

Even in my rebellious years, I never doubted that Mama loved me unconditionally. I knew she prayed for me earnestly. She knew when to lecture me, when to punish me and when to hug me.”

-Franklin Graham on his mother, Ruth

from Sitting by My Laughing Fire by Ruth Bell Graham