FocusOnTheFamily

The G-A-M-E of L-O-V-E

Written by Greg Asimakoupoulos

Because Wendy and I spent many Friday nights during our courtship playing Scrabble, it seemed an appropriate way to propose. While she was out of the room, I arranged the tiles crossword-style on the Scrabble board: “Wendy please agree to be my wife.”

When Wendy returned from the kitchen, she took a moment to make sense of it all. Then she shrieked and hugged me. When I held out the fabric bag of letters and suggested she draw, she reached in and found a diamond ring.

The fact that Wendy and I have been married 25 years indicates how she answered my proposal – with a three-letter word.

Curiously, that old-fashioned game continues to factor into our relationship. On cold, rainy nights while our daughters are out, we still sit by the fire, sip tea and spell words to our heart’s content.

But beyond the joy of playing a game we love, we both see clues in Scrabble to staying committed:

• In Scrabble as in marriage, we can’t do it alone. We need each other to make it work.
• The essence of the game is finding ways to connect; parallel pursuits don’t make it.
• Our relationship is strongest when both Wendy and I validate each other’s contributions and seek to add to them.
• Occasional challenges are important for keeping each other on track.

Scrabble also reminds us we must do the best with what we have. There will always be someone who has more valuable letters or opportune places to play, just as there will always be couples who have more assets and opportunities than we do. All the same, enjoyment in Scrabble and marriage has nothing to do with possessions and everything to do with contentment.

Let me see, if I spell blessed, I use all my letters and get 50 extra points.

Greg Asimakoupoulos plays Scrabble with his wife in Mercer Island, Washington.

© 2007 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

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