When I was a newly married and transplanted-to-NYC 23-year-old, I got my very first visiting teaching assignment: Claudia Bushman. On the surface, it seemed like an easy assignment; in a ward that encompassed a third of the island of Manhattan, this sister I was to visit on a monthly basis lived a mere five blocks away. She didn't have mental issues or financial needs or a thousand cats; how hard a calling could it be?
It was only after I had made my first appointment with Claudia that I realized the situation's potential for anxiety. Claudia was a professor at Columbia University and the author of a number of well-respected historical works. She had gotten her Ph.D. at Boston University while raising six children. Most intimidating of all--she had founded Exponent II.
(As it turned out, my first visit to the Bushman apartment was fraught with anxiety for other significant reasons, but that's a post for another day.)
The ever-gracious Claudia did her best to put me at ease, and I developed a great deal of respect for her during our time together in the Manhattan First Ward. I remember her fondly--so when Neylan McBaine contacted me earlier this year, told me she was guest editing the Winter 2012 issue of Exponent II, and wanted to have me interviewed for it, I immediately thought of Claudia and the many ways in which she has inspired me over the years. Now I'm a published writer with six kids of my own--though I don't have that Ph.D.--not yet, anyway.
My second thought was of Neylan herself. Neylan was a teenager in that same New York City ward; Patrick was her and her mother's faithful home teacher for many years. Over two decades, I have watched Neylan from afar as she has grown from a poised and gifted girl into an accomplished, creative, and compassionate woman--another inspiration.
I am grateful for women who do their best to magnify their God-given potential, and I'm grateful that Neylan has given me the chance to have my voice heard in this interview. Meeting with producer Shelah Miner was a fabulous treat; in working with her, I've gotten to know yet another sister-of-the-heart who moves me with her dedication to excellence.
The Winter 2012 issue of Exponent II is out! You can buy a hard copy or download a free PDF. Read the interview and see what you think!