The Beginning

I experience a sense of awe every time I hold a brand new baby.  This tiny little creature, with unbelievably small fingernails, soft eyelashes, and wrinkled skin is a brand new person.  Part of what hits me is the newness of the infant.  Who will this baby be?  What will his temperament be?  What joys and heartbreaks lay ahead, what potential drifts to sleep in my arms?  It feels hopeful to think these thoughts.  Hopeful and a bit frightening.

That is how beginnings often are.  A new home, a new job, a move, a marriage.  Each of these beginnings holds so much possibility, so much hope, potential, and opportunity.  And, right next to these hopes and dreams sits a bit of fear.  There is risk in beginnings, in adventure. 

And this, this is a beginning.  In March, 2010 the Professional Services branch of the Upper Valley Compassionate Care Center (UVCCC) officially opened.  The UVCCC is a faith-based, non-profit organization with the vision of providing high standards of professional care and peer support from a Christian perspective.  We were started by a group of people who noticed a scarcity of resources for people who were hurting, and who wanted desperately to help.  The UVCCC has two branches: professional services and peer support.  Our staff consists of trained volunteers and caring, well-qualified professional counselors.  We are committed to helping people grow, heal, and recover and are here to serve all members of the community, regardless of religious background or affiliation.

My name is Lauren Shaw, and I am a psychologist at the UVCCC.  I also coordinate professional services at the center.  I offer individual counseling for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as couples and family counseling.  One of my favorite Bible verses is 2 Corinthians 5:18, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."  This is the calling I feel on my life...to join in this ministry of reconciliation, helping people to reconcile and reconnect with their own hearts, with others, and with God through Christ.

I will be writing this blog as a tool to aid in that mission.  My hope is that I will provide a useful resource for those journeying into a deeper, richer life and more engaged, connected relationships.  I am open to any suggestions for topics or information that may be useful or encouraging.

In many ways, the UVCCC is similar to a new child.  We are a new ministry, fresh with hopes and dreams for what the future may hold.  We are excited to see what God will do, how He will use us in the work He is doing.  We are filled with hope and excitement.  And, we believe we were made for adventures like these, for risking big and watching Him work.