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.

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