A portrait of Rebekah Anders by her children, in their own words.

David Anders, M.D., an internist with Premier Medical Group near Southlake, the oldest son of Pat and Rebekah Anders:

In the fourth grade I came home one day distraught that I hadn't had time to finish a multiplication test. I was certain I had failed the test. My mother comforted me and taught me, “David, half the things you worry about will never come true, and the other half won't be as bad as you thought they would be.”

I have had hundreds of opportunities to test and apply this simple advice, and continue to be thankful for a mom's words of wisdom to her 9-year-old son.

I was probably in the third or fourth grade before I realized she was a doctor, and then it was no big deal to me, since my father was also a doctor.

I remember how at night she would sit in the hall along our bedrooms with her Bible, preparing her Sunday School lesson for the next week while being hall monitor for six children, each wanting to sneak out of bed. I realize now she could have chosen to read anything, but it is typical of her character that her choice was the Bible.

And I can remember every night at home saying prayers, “Help all the little babies be strong and healthy,” and how grateful she was to have had six healthy babies herself.

In my teens, when my mother talked to me seriously about my decision to become a doctor her recommendation was straightforward. “Try everything else first. If you still find that you want to be a doctor, then you'll be ready to work hard enough to become one.” While I'm sure she would have supported any decision I made, she also realized the commitment to a life in medicine is not one to be taken lightly.

I'm sure she's proud of my choice to become a doctor and the dedication and self-discipline that represents. But I'm sure she's prouder of the dedication that all of her children demonstrate as they raise their families, love their spouses and grow in their faith.

I've had the honor of treating some of the same patients she has cared for. I'm always humbled to realize the patients are making comparisons between the two generations, but I can't help but feel they have already received the best in health care (emphasis on the care) from her.

Kenya Anders, M.D., dermatologist and David's wife, in perhaps the ultimate daughter-in-law compliment:

She's an amazing lady, everything I'd ever hope to be.

Buffie DuPuis, M.D., a pathologist at St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta:

In our own family of four, with two boys, two pathologists, two golden retrievers, and too little time, there are days when it seems like an accomplishment to serve fast food for dinner. How did my mother, with six children, two obstetrician-gynecologists, three live-in elderly relatives, innumerable cats, dogs, goats, sheep, rabbits, ducks, and 19 grandchildren manage? Remarkably and contentedly.

She was born in the South, the first in her family to graduate from college in an era when it would have been more customary to graduate high school, marry and settle down — long before anyone thought of women's liberation.

But she went on to medical school, met and married my father there, then gave birth to her first child in between medical school exams and graduation... But from her there are no tales of discrimination or tribulations; only memories of admirable deans, fond classmates, experiences cherished.

She proceeded to have five more children, every other year, as well as move every other year as my dad was transferred by the Navy to Key West, Long Island, Jacksonville, then back to Atlanta.

I myself have yet to recover from my last move eight years ago from Douglasville to Atlanta... But I never heard stories about moving disasters, the woes of pregnancy, or tight finances. There was no talk of hard work, stressful days, career.

Instead I heard about how we were each “heaven-sent,” how rich my parents felt when the Navy paychecks started coming, how exciting the first dishwasher was.

She thinks nothing of having 50 for Thanksgiving dinner (my son recently asked if there were more Kennedys or Anderses), and all 33 of us come to “the big house” each year for Christmas.

She raised a teacher, three physicians, two CPAs, three valedictorians, and a nurse [Janet] whose heart is large enough to adopt four children, three simultaneously, all in diapers. She has always been devoted to her church, and for as long as I can remember has taught Sunday School. She has been instrumental in the development of TLC2 [a home for unwed mothers].

It is a curse and a blessing to have a saint as a mother. What a legacy to live up to.

Janet Banks, R.N., in the surgery department at Coliseum Medical Center in Macon:

Mama would acknowledge that Daddy made it possible for her to practice, but that was only one aspect of her life. She still had pretty much full responsibility for raising us and has been a great example to me as a Christian wife and mother.

I got to work as an office assistant with her and my father in their Ob-Gyn practice as a summer job and between quarters in college. All of their patients loved them. Daddy would keep his schedule moving along and have his patients in and out.

“Dr. Rebekah” always took a long time with her patients, asking about them and their family members. She preferred to do most of the patient care herself and required very little of me.

She took longer because she knew how important the little details were to her patients. Her schedule would get behind and patients would have to wait, but they never complained. They knew when their turn came, she would be just as thorough and unconcerned about time.

Our family would have starved if we had relied solely on her income, but Mama never practiced medicine to get rich. She couldn't survive financially in today's medical world with an HMO pushing you to meet quotas or insurance companies wanting to pay less so you need to see more patients.

Tricia Jones, a special ed teacher in Knoxville, Tenn.:

Mama was a great mother, so creative and fun. Birthdays and Christmas were great celebrations. When we were young we got one present for each year, and the birthday presents were scattered around the house in a scavenger hunt...

I think that what I admire so about my mother is that she knew what she wanted and somewhat went against the grain to get it. It was not easy for her to get accepted into medical school, because the current thought was that a woman would marry and get pregnant and drop out. But she persevered, and that has been a good life lesson for me.

The biggest thing I appreciate about Mama and Daddy is that they instilled church attendance in us. We were there every time the door opened. It's no guarantee, but I do feel that church attendance helps keep one on the right path. And Mama and Daddy didn't just drop us off, but they were there, too. Mama has taught Sunday School for years and is much-loved by her class [at New Hope Baptist Church].

When I was a teenager... I asked Mama, “What is most important to you?” Since she was a DOCTOR I expected her to say “My job” because it accorded her status.

However, she said, “My family. That's a lot more important to me than my job.” And I knew that we were very important to her.

You should see an Anders Thanksgiving. There are traditional things we always have, and Mama always bakes a turkey or two, overnight, so it is the first thing you smell when you wake up.

After a huge lunch we play football in the front yard. It has been fun to watch the little ones play as they get older. And after the game we eat leftovers, and then a bunch of us spend the night, children all over the floor. It is so much fun, the only time I ever see some of our relatives.

Tim Anders, a CPA in private industry, working in management:

Mom is quite a grandmother. She takes time to make each grandchild feel special. Her own schedule comes second whenever her grandchildren visit. She enjoys making memories. There is no place that her grandchildren would rather go than to Grandma's house.

One of Mom's most recent “addictions” has been the Internet and e-mail. It is not unusual to get an e-mail from Mom at 4 a.m. She is not afraid of her computer, which she did not get until into her 70s.

As each of us has grown older, my mom and dad have allowed us to grow in our own way. They have been there for us during all phases of our lives. They allowed us to develop into young men and women by being an example to us. A couple of years ago on Mother's Day, I tried to put into words what my mom meant to me.