There&8217;s an old saying: The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

As children grow from boys and girls into young men and women, a mother&8217;s constant love is a beautiful, nurturing, uplifting thing.

Each year, on the second Sunday in May, the United States celebrates Mother&8217;s Day. The tradition officially began on May 10, 1908, when the Andrews Methodist Episcopalian Church in Grafton, W.Va., celebrated Mother&8217;s Day.

The roots of Mother&8217;s Day go deeper, however, back to a tradition called Mothering Sunday in Britain, which falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent &8212; exactly three weeks before Easter.

While the British holiday began as a Christian tradition &8212; an annual pilgrimage to one&8217;s &8220;mother church&8221; &8212; the holiday has since become secularized. In the days after the Civil War, social activist Julia Ward Howe used the concept of a &8220;mother&8217;s day&8221; as part of a pacifist movement.

Regardless of its origins, Mother&8217;s Day has since become an important observance for millions of Americans.

Former Alabama coach Paul &8220;Bear&8221; Bryant once recorded a television commercial for communications giant Ma Bell, where he urged viewers to remember their mothers.

The world revolves because of the care and love of mothers. Without it, our world would be a colder, lonelier place.

We urge our readers to do as Bryant suggested. Take some time to call, e-mail or go visit your mother today. She&8217;ll appreciate it &8212; and so will you.