I grew up in a time when my mama had afternoon Bridge parties, my grandparents played canasta, and solitaire was something I did as a kid to pass time along with war, spades, and 52-card pick-up when we were silly. Cards are something I have played with my grandkids, Uno, Phase 10, and Go Fish.

As I grew older word games, due to my love of words I suppose. Became my favorite thing. Boggle is a favorite, Scrabble, and as a kid, I played skads of hangman.

I play word games on my phone now, no second player in sight. It’s kinda sad really cards are played online too. No real interaction with people eye to eye, most of the time your partner is a faceless person, or a robot. I miss that… the gathering, the chit chat as we played, the laughter, the socialization.

Games are for sale cheap in thrift shops and yard sales. Most unopened,  never played by whoever bought them. The age of technology has stolen away our family game night. I have a closet shelf full of games, cards, and puzzles, all waiting patiently to be drawn from the darkness and opened up to play…

I miss the games we played… the sound of shuffling the deck. The crisp snap of cards being doled out, the sound of wooden tiles being mixed to draw from… the chatter of friends and family as we compete and talk. Why were they my favorite? It was the human element that made them fun, the company, and being together. I miss that…..