Ruth Graham: What I Learned From My Mother

I did a book about mother several years ago called “Legacy of Love– Things I Learned from my Mother.” And I think one of the outstanding characteristics of my mother was joy. She chose joy. Her life was not easy– far from it. She was raised in the backside of China. No one had prepared her for the role that she would play. And she just chose joy in the midst of the criticism and the harsh glare of the spotlight. 

My mother just enjoyed life and had a great sense of the ridiculous, wonderful sense of humor, and always had a quote, always had a cute little quote. And one of her favorites was, “No one’s useless. They can always serve as a bad example.” And she was always pulling something out like that. 

And the one that meant the most to me was, “Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” In other words, look forward. And in the mess of my life, she said, “Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” So put that behind you and move forward in new life. And so I’m very grateful for the heritage of love that my mother gave me.