The following guest essay was written by Lesley Draper and shared with Scopely's editors. If you have a story to share, we want to hear it. Email stories@scopely.com.
Scrabble has been a passion for me since my Grandma taught me to play at the age of six. It became part of family Sundays, school lunch hours and tea with friends.
Later, I joined the school Scrabble club; learned tactics and two-letter words; and spent romantic evenings over a Scrabble board with a glass or two of wine.
But gradually time moved on... I discovered Space Invaders, and ditched my fountain pen for a keyboard. I taught my daughters to play Scrabble, but they were more interested in other games and, with no ready opponents, my Scrabble set was relegated to the back of the cupboard.
Then I discovered Scrabble GO – and suddenly my happy place was back.
At first I played old schoolfriends, finding a way to keep in daily contact, in spite of the fact that we were now spread across the UK. Then I became bolder and began to accept challenges from strangers – always exchanging greetings to meet new people.
One player became a friend after I helped her prepare for a move from Thailand to England. I still play her daily – along with my old schoolfriends and, of course, my cousin. Born profoundly deaf and with learning difficulties, she is now in her 70s and relies on our games for a social life.
And then there was Murray. We had been playing together for a long time, despite living on opposite sides of the Atlantic: me in Buxton, England, and him in Canada. Earlier this year, he told me he would love to visit. Another Scrabble GO friend who lives just down the road from me, Rose, had already met Murray in person and encouraged us to get together. He sounded a real gent, so I agreed... admittedly with some trepidation.
I needn’t have worried. Murray arrived and took us all out to dinner, including my husband. We all got on so well that we spent the evening exchanging life stories and never found time for a game! We’re already planning a return trip, this time with his wife.
It was wonderful to discover that Scrabble – even through our phones – can still be a way of developing valued friendships. I’ve even met new friends through the Scrabble GO Facebook page.
I never imagined, when my grandma first showed me the board, that Scrabble would still be bringing people into my life more than 50 years later. Scrabble GO has given me back a game I love. Even better, it has given me friends I might never otherwise have met.
See you around the board.
Lesley Draper
Buxton, England