The first post.  Well, not technically the first -ever- post, just the first post in this new space.  The last post I wrote in the old space was six years ago.  Which feels like both a minute and a lifetime ago.  And my how the blogosphere has changed in six years!  Last time I picked a WordPress theme, named it and started writing.  Easy Peasy.  Today, I am super thankful for my husband who is IT minded and built me this beautiful website. 

If you’ve ever had an inkling of wanting to start blogging, let me offer a word of advice.  Don’t read the myriad of articles telling you how to start.  “Introduce Yourself”  “Introduce Your Platform”  “Vision” “Direction” “Expectations” on and on and on and on.  The ‘advice’ is overwhelming and you can spend more time wading through it all than actually sitting down to write your first post.  There’s only one important thing – starting. 

Butt in seat.

Computer on.

Write.

Post.

It won’t be perfect.  You’ll look back in a year or two and probably cringe.  But you’ll have started and nothing is more important than that.

Wait, did you think I was talking to you?  Oh no, that was just me in my mirror.  “Butt. In. Seat. Kathryn.”  (Am I the only one who uses their full name when talking to themselves?)

So here is my humble beginning. 

My name is Kathy Gustafsson and I’ve been writing on and off for most of my life.  I have a hand-written report on the state of South Dakota from 3^rd grade that I received an A+ on.  I have boxes and shelves of journals full of thoughts, quotes, prayers and story ideas.  I have a novel that I started.   I have finished and unfinished short stories.  I have series of picture books playing in the corner of my mind. 

Also, I’m a reader - fiction, non-fiction, books on writing, books on prayer, and books on creating art.  Even with the library that my husband built for me, we still have books in every room of the house.  It makes me think of Cicero A room without books is body without soul.  Our home has a lot of soul.

 I love words.  That’s really the whole story.  If I was brave enough to get a tattoo, it would be this.

This is a monogram of the alphabet.  This small shape holds the lines and curves of every word you’ve ever read or written.  This small shape can be changed into words that challenge or inspire, words to express love or hate, words to teach or correct.  This one little shape holds a lot of power. 

My hope and desire in starting to blog again is to harness the power that our words have and use them for good – for both you and me. 

“Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.”

– Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)