A Raggant in Aerwiar
March 31, 2016

A Raggant in Aerwiar

Two years ago today, I arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina—my official move from northern climes to the south. The move was a bit haphazard in that I had come down for working visit a few weeks earlier and didn’t move my belongings down until a few months later, but March 31 was my official arrival. During my transition time after […]

Carolyn Givens Books & Authors 1 4 min read
December 21, 2014

“A Good Word for Winter”

I discovered James Russell Lowell’s “A Good Word for Winter” a couple of weeks ago—to my utter delight. I could probably quote from it for hours. For now, though, on this Winter Solstice, I’ll simply give you the meat of his argument: “I am going to ask you presently to take potluck with me at a board where Winter shall […]

Carolyn Givens Books & Authors 0 3 min read
October 21, 2014

And Then There Was the Day…

And then there was the day that I didn’t want to write a blog post. I wondered when it would happen. I was feeling pretty impressed by myself for making it through nearly two-thirds of the month without running out of ideas or just simply not wanting to write. But I’ve hit my wall. I don’t feel like it. I’m […]

Carolyn Givens #write31Days 3 1 min read
October 20, 2014

Julie’s Porch

I sat in Julie’s living room this evening. I walked in, looked at the sofa, and turned to look back at her. “I’ve never sat down in this room before,” I said. She raised one eyebrow and cocked her head a little. “How is that?” I gestured to the darkened screen porch out the back door. “I’ve spent many hours […]

Carolyn Givens #write31Days 0 1 min read
October 19, 2014

Fireplace

Someone posted a photo of a woodstove happily burning on Facebook this evening. It glimmered in my sight as I scrolled passed. At first, I bemoaned the not-quite-fall that we seem to be having here in Charlotte, but then I paused, noted that I had been chilly for most of the day, and suddenly recalled that I now have a […]

Carolyn Givens #write31Days 2 1 min read
October 8, 2014

Exchange

In our study this week, my Bible study group looked at the passage in Romans that says, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). I wrote a note in the margin of my book: Jane Eyre. I adore the novel Jane Eyre. I have multiple copies and […]

Carolyn Givens #write31Days 3 2 min read
October 6, 2014

Words, Words, Words

I learned a new word today. I love learning new words, particularly when they’re multi-syllabic and fun to say. Today’s word was “concatenation.” Both multi-syllabic and fun (and defined as a series of interconnected things or events). Evidently, listening to NPR does make you smarter. It reminded me of some of my favorite words of the past and my adventures […]

Carolyn Givens #write31Days 1 2 min read