In honor of Mother’s Day, The Stand recently interviewed Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright about her relationship with her beloved grandmother, Ruth Graham.
We think all Christian mothers and grandmothers will be inspired by what we learned from Wright’s words. We could not bear to summarize or hone down any of this priceless conversation, so we’ve broken it into two parts.
Here is Part 1 of our interview with Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright:
The Stand: If someone had never heard of your grandmother, how would you describe her?
Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright: We called my grandmother, Tai Tai, which she told us means “old lady” in Chinese! She was born and raised in China because her parents were medical missionaries there. Tai Tai was absolutely full of life, witty, had an incredible sense of humor, deeply loved the Lord, was a student of the Word, a prayer warrior, had a never-met-a-stranger kind of personality, always made you feel loved, and was so adventurous!
TS: Could you share with us your earliest memory of your grandmother?
RLW: My earliest memory of Tai Tai was probably when I was three or four. The whole family got together at a lake for a picnic. All of the cousins were running around and swimming. I don’t remember much about the day, but what I do remember is Tai Tai’s face – it was so bright and full of life! She had the biggest smile, which made her face beam with excitement and fun! Definitely, a grandmother you would want to be around and one that I always felt safe and loved by.
TS: Did she have certain verses or stories that she told you over and over?
RLW: I don’t remember her having go-to verses, but I always remember her in her Bible, studying it, and living it out. After the genocide, I worked in Rwanda with Samaritan’s Purse. I remember calling Tai Tai and talking to her while I was over there. She told me she was memorizing Romans 8. Towards the end of her life, she was still memorizing scripture! Romans 8 says that nothing can separate us from the love of God! Through Tai Tai sharing Romans 8 with me, I was reminded of God’s love even in the midst of devastation in Rwanda! War, poverty, and hunger will not separate us from the love of Jesus!
TS: Your grandparents had many grandkids. How did your grandmother make you feel special and distinct?
RLW: I felt like I was her only grandchild. We were so close! I struggled in school with girls being mean, which affected my self-esteem. She would write me letters, encouraging me and telling me some of her own struggles when she was my age. She would call me and talk through some of the difficulties I was facing in school, or even later, in marriage. Then, she would give me hope that things would get better. I would spend weekends with her and talk about all the things we both loved – clouds, paintings, old movies, snowy nights, a crackling fire, and of course, God’s Word! She was fun to be around and gave me time!
TS: Your grandmother had to spend so much time apart from your grandfather as he traveled the world. Her love and support for him made his work possible. Looking back, from your perspective as an adult, how do you think she managed all she had to do as a wife and mother while doing so much on her own?
RLW: She enjoyed it! She loved being a mother! Tai Tai was always filled with joy! My mom said that Tai Tai never raised her voice. She never got angry. She freely let my grandfather go serve the Lord in his calling, which freed her up to do what she loved the most – mothering! She shared with me once that one of the best things we can do for our husbands is to hold on to them loosely. If we nag and complain and demand time, we may end up keeping them from a calling God may have on their lives. Focus on being a mother and a wife that is filled with joy and looks for ways to make things fun instead of dreary. God gave her the energy she needed to raise five kids on her own, and He provided her with some dear women that came and helped her around the house as well.
A passionate Bible teacher, Wright released her first book, Jesus Followers, in the Fall of 2021. For more information on this book and her weekly Zoom Bible study, go to annegrahamlotz.org.
