"institute" sure looks like "camp" from here

There's no time to blog this week. It's after midnight and sleep sounds really good right now. But. The kids and the speakers and the staff say things that are real and true and profound, and I want to share. So here's just a little bit: One of our speakers tonight, who talked about her long relationship with Texas politics and politicians, talked to the group about having a sense of calling, and about the right reasons for being involved in politics, and about what happens to too many people who stay in politics for too long. "You don't get excited about getting up in the morning and being a Democrat," she said. What makes it worth it is knowing that you can meet a need that day. That you can serve.

I keep thinking about calling and vocation this way: that the particular job you're doing isn't nearly as important as the person you're becoming. I hope the students will take that away from this week, that they will know that it doesn't necessarily matter that you have a certain internship in a certain year, or that you go to your dream law school, or that you get a six-figure job after being a brilliant summer associate. That may happen, and it will probably be nice, but it won't really be the life you always dreamed of if you're not becoming the person you're called to be - the particular person for a certain place and a unique time. Sometimes our dreams are so wrong. Sometimes our dreams are so small. And I get the feeling that letting go of our plans and risking to dream big has a lot to do with becoming who we're supposed to be.