Hey, Ya’ll!

by Hope Lanier

Have you ever played the “what if” game? You know, asking yourself “what if” I could go anywhere, do anything, or meet anyone. “What if” I could choose any way in the world to dedicate my time and talents? “What if” God challenged me to step back and consider how to balance my life to better incorporate His plans?

In the past few weeks, I have gotten the distinct feeling that I might be missing the boat on some opportunities to open important new doors in my life. I began considering “what if” I started really looking out for one of those instances of clarity that we so often drown out with the distractions of life. When I did, I found myself face-to-face with a “burning bush” moment of sorts, clearly and directly challenged to re-think my “calling” and find a way to live it in an everyday way. 

Let me stop to introduce myself. My name is Hope Lanier. I am 39 years old, single, and have lived in Columbia for just over two years now. Professionally speaking, I am a political consultant, representing a variety of clients before the South Carolina General Assembly. 

Even as I write to you through this Family Life Blog, my immediate family doesn’t look much like I thought it would at this stage of my life. While I have the support of two wonderful parents, whom I am fortunate to talk with regularly, they have been likewise blessed with two very sweet, furry “grand-dogs.” Hadley is my beautiful and headstrong Scottish Terrier and Gracie is my sassy white Westie that was rescued after eight years–and fourteen litters–as a breeder dog in a puppy mill. 

To the extent that good friends become the family you pick–and I truly believe they do–I have an incredible and extensive network of “family” that literally spans this country and reaches around the world. From the Carolinas to California and Washington, DC to Africa, I have been so fortunate to discover such deep, amazing, supportive and time-tested friendships with people I admire and respect. 

I also cherish those wonderful opportunities to be the extra cool “Aunt Ho” to my precious “niece and nephew,” who are technically my cousins. I love giving them fun presents like retro Superfriends DVDs (complete with Wonder Twin powers) and those “must have” glow-in-the-dark pajamas, but I most enjoy my annual consults with Davis and Sara Borden about their Halloween plans and my much more frequent phone updates about super heroes, potty progress, nursery school and birthday parties. 

Much as I would love having a husband and children to keep me busy at home, I have taken advantage of the freedom of single life to discover the world and feed a real passion for travel and missions. Those adventures have literally taken me around the world–from Montana to Moscow, Tuscany to Tanzania, Paris to Phuket and to islands from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean. My travels have opened my eyes to an incredible view of the world and the chance to interact with countless numbers of people in so many different cultures. The memories from all of those adventures are truly priceless–and my art collection hasn’t suffered much, either!

I moved to Columbia from Charlotte in the Fall of  2006–a move that was difficult because I was leaving great friends and a home and city I loved (and still do), but it was a transition made with an indescribable sense of peace that I’ve only encountered in a few other instances. That move came at a very tough time personally, but also on the heels of a truly incredible month spent volunteering in East Africa, teaching nursery school to about thirty children, many of whom were orphans–some of them HIV positive. So many of the people I met on that trip have made indelible marks on my heart and, in a way, became a part of a very extended family that I really cherish.

Back on the home front, in addition to having a quite a shoe habit, being a true “foodie,” and a recent convert to Facebook (where I am now “friends” with Oran Smith!!), I’ve been a political junkie since I was a four-year-old watching the Watergate hearings on a black-and-white TV (sitting on shag carpet). I walked our neighborhood with my mother canvassing for library bonds at five, and remember the 1976 Presidential Election like it was yesterday. I studied political science (as much as I studied anything) in school and spent several years working on Capitol Hill in the mid 90s. And, although I have walked away from it a few times, I am still hooked on politics and keep coming back to this mad mix of elections, policy, and legislation. 

Politics, as a career, is certainly a challenge and something for which I have a decent amount of talent. And most weeks, it is one of my real passions. But I am increasingly convinced that mission work, more than politics, is my true calling. That revelation has led me to seek a viable way to actively do both. Through that effort, it also occurred to me that while missions can involve places exotic and far away, it all really boils down to using your talents wherever you are, to serve God the best way you can. 

In one of those instances of happenstance that could only have been part of a bigger plan, I sat down to lunch with Oran and Janet just a couple of weeks ago, seeking their ideas about a positive, Christian, family-oriented venue through which to share some of my thoughts. I left that lunch very excited about the prospect of being part of what we hope will be an amazing and ongoing dialogue with you and your families all across South Carolina. 

As Janet mused in one of her earlier postings about the path her life has taken, it was almost immediately clear that I was supposed to be right here, right now.  And truthfully, on a side note of sorts, that sense of direction and purpose came as a very welcome blessing since I have been asking a lot of “why here, why now” questions lately.

A friend of mine once shared that her favorite prayer request was for “opportunities, possibilities, and surprises”–a thought that regularly scrolls across my screen saver at home. I am certain that God brought me to Columbia for a reason (or many…), and while I am still not quite sure what that reason is, I am really excited about this opportunity to meet all of you through the Family Life Blog.

I can’t wait to discover the blessings, possibilities, and surprises that this journey we take together may bring!