President Reagan gave a stirring address for Mother's Day, 1983

"She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching Of kindness is on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:26)

On Mother's Day in 1983, President Ronald Reagan gave a stirring tribute to his mother during a national radio address. He stated that it is often mothers who teach values, nurture care for others and demonstrate the belief in God for guidance in life.

He described the worn brown Bible he used at his inauguration. "Its flyleaf is filled with important events; its margins are scrawled with insights and passages underlined for emphasis. My mother, Nelle, made all those marks in that book," President Reagan said. "She used it to instruct her two young sons, and I look to it still."

The old saying that "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world," was more than a cliché for Nelle Reagan. Looking at her life, one would wonder if she knew she was preparing her son to be the president of the United States.

Nelle Reagan raised young Ron to be a man of conviction and shared her faith in a good and loving God who has a purpose and plan for our lives. His firm belief in the power of prayer was learned literally at her knee as she prayed.

His love for reading was inspired by his mother. Each night, she wedged herself between him and his brother to read stories about good triumphing over evil. He watched her finger move beneath the lines as she sounded each word on the page. By the age of five, he was reading on his own.

He paid her the highest compliment when he called her "a do gooder" because she took to heart scriptures like Galations 6:9. "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." She raised her family during the Great Depression and although they were very poor, she always helped people in need. She visited prisoners in the local jail, took food to the sick and prayed for their healing.

Racial and religious intolerance were not permitted. She quoted her own version of the golden rule. "Treat thy neighbor as you would want your neighbor to treat you and judge everyone by how they act, not by what they are."

Ronald Reagan's father, Jack, was an alcoholic. Nelle maintained her positive attitude despite Jack's frequent unemployment and irresponsible spending. Ronald Reagan related how "his bouts with the dark demon in the bottle" drove his mother to her knees several times a day. "My mother would pray constantly for my father. She refused to give up, no matter how dark things looked."

At the age of eleven, he discovered his father lying in the snow near the front door, drunk. He pulled on his father's overcoat to drag him into the house, put him to bed and never mentioned the incident to his mother.

"I was raised to believe that God has a plan for everyone and that seemingly random twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My mother -- a small woman with auburn hair and a sense of optimism that ran as deep as the cosmos -- told me that everything in life happened for a purpose. She said all things were part of God's plan, even the most disheartening setbacks, and in the end, she said, you didn't let it get to you. You stepped away from it, stepped over it and moved on. Later on she added, something good will happen and you'll find yourself thinking--'If I hadn't had that problem back then, then this better thing that did happen wouldn't have happened to me."'

Although Nelle had detailed knowledge of the Bible from childhood, she was not "born again" until the year before her second son's birth. She made a public profession of faith, was baptized and faithfully took both of her boys to church. At the age of twelve, Ronald Reagan committed his life to Christ and then invited his older brother Neil to do the same.

Nelle Clyde Wilson Reagan laid a firm foundation of faith and nurtured her son to become a great man and eventually a great president. He walked with the Lord throughout his life and he never felt lonely while in office, because he believed the Lord was his constant companion.

"My mother, God rest her soul, had an unshakable faith in God's goodness. And while I may not have realized it in my youth, I know now that she planted that faith very deeply in me."

This Week

Remember, recognize and reward the women, wives and mothers whose strength and love impacted your life.

Prayer

"Lord, thank You for our mothers. May we rise up and call them blessed."