The Sorting Hat

There I sat, with a GIANT talking sorting hat atop of my head, waiting to hear which house I belonged to for my few years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In the depths of my stomach, there was a knot forming.  No, not an actual knot, a nervous knot, and no, I am not going to Hogwarts Wizarding School.  Although, what was true was the anxiousness, much like Harry Potter's, in finding out where I would be placed during my time in Omaha.  In the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, or watch it in the movie, there is a scene where Harry has a large talking hat on his head.  This hat, the sorting hat, ultimately decides which House each Hogwart student will spend their time at school.  Running through Harry's mind were questions like "Which placements are right for me?  Will they like me?  Do they want me there?  What am I doing here?"   Young Harry sits in front of the entire dinning hall, and the sorting hat begins to speak to him about his qualities and which house ( Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.) he will exceed and benefit from most.  After major contemplation, the sorting hat shouts, "Gryffindor!"  And the crowd goes wild, and Harry rushes off to meet his friends.
Okay, I know it's a stretch, but that's pretty close to how it happened.  All week the interns were on a retreat contemplating our qualities, spirituality,and futures, so when it came time to learn which placements were ours, I felt very much like a young wizard waiting to be sorted.  The only true major difference between these two placement situations, was that our program director wasn't simply a sorting hat.  Our director spent a lot praying and discerning where each of us should be placed.  Plus the parishes, the non-profits, and the interns all gave a lot of input as to where we would fit best.
So where was I sorted?  Church of the Holy Spirit and Habit for Humanity!  HOT DOG, this is going to be a brilliant nine months!  These were the placements I thought would truly challenge and expose me to what my future could look like.  In Church of the Holy Spirit, I will act as the shadow of the rector, literally.  And at Habitat for Humanity, I will act as a marketing intern of sorts.  Following the decision, hands were placed on my head for a final blessing and the commissioning was over.  Now it is in full force my new adventure of discernment, prayer, and community.  The outcome is unknown, but the sorting hat wasn't wrong about Harry's placement.