Even since before our marriage, the game of Scrabble® has always been a favorite of Ken and mine. Years ago a friend gave us a new deluxe edition of the board game, and we gladly put our tattered then-twenty-year-old game “out to pasture.” It was easy to throw away the crushed box and the faded game board, but I just couldn’t part with the square wooden tiles of the game we’d begun our marriage with. Instead, I put the tiles in a little dish on the ottoman in front of our sofa. On a whim, I arranged some of the letters on the top of the pile to spell out D-E-B L-O-V-E-S K-E-N. Written as it was, on top of the mound of other lettered tiles, it took some concentration to make out the message, but eventually Ken noticed it.
So did our children. One day as I was dusting, I noticed the tiles had been rearranged. I took me a minute to focus on the new message, but when I did, there was no doubt who had left it. In the slang of our then teenage youngest son, it said T-R-E-Y I-S D-A M-A-N.
That was the beginning of a marathon of messages from the Scrabble® bowl. A few days later our then ten-year-old daughter put her own name “in lights.” T-A-V-I-A I-S A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
Over the years, it became a family pursuit, and we never knew from day to day what message might be spelled out by the tiles in the bowl. Sometimes the tiles welcomed dear guests, other times they announced a special occasion, or communicated our love for one another. Often it simply served as a conversation piece. Occasionally weeks would go by and the message would sit, unchanged, forgotten.
On September 11, 2001, our family––like the rest of the world––was shaken by the tragic events in our nation. To make matters worse, Trey’s close high school friend was killed in a tragic car accident that week. Trey was asked to speak at the funeral, and made the seven-hour drive home from college in Iowa.
The following week, he drove back to college, Tavia started back to school, and we all tried to get back in our routines of life. But things seemed hopeless and bleak. I found it hard to work, hard to think about anything but the tragedies that had befallen our friends and our world.
One morning, Ken and I were sitting on the sofa together and when I looked down, I noticed that our little dish of Scrabble® tiles displayed a new message. In the unmistakable “penmanship” of our then 10-year-old youngest daughter, were three words that spoke of childlike faith, of courage, and of hope. Fifteen letters of the alphabet, arranged just so, offered us the strength to find joy in life again:
G-O-D B-L-E-S-S A-M-E-R-I-C-A.
Twenty-two years later those tiles are still on our coffee table. The collection has grown to include several games’ worth of tiles, and today it’s usually our grandkids who play with them and arrange them into messages (or tall stacks to knock over). Life goes on and God is still in His heaven—and in our thankful hearts.
What are your memories of that horrific day? How has God’s goodness shone through the darkness for you since that day?
Latest posts by Deborah Raney (see all)
- We Shopped at Piggly Wiggly - May 12, 2025
- Happy Mother’s Day! - May 11, 2025
- Research Trip - April 28, 2025
Now I’m crying.. What a wonderful message… in words and times.
It changed us all, didn’t it? Thanks, Roxy.
What a wonderful story, Deb! What a testament to your family’s love for one another.
Thanks, Angie. Our kids were all starting to leave home at that point and I think, as it did for so many, 9-11 made us look at what really matters and what we are willing to fight for.
I love this post. God bless America, indeed. My fourth grandchild was born five days after 9/11. I remember standing in the delivery room, thanking God that something beautiful had happened that week after so much fear and heartache.
Oh, that’s so precious, Robin! A reminder of new life was SUCH a gift at that time in our lives!
I love how God can take something as simple as old game pieces and turn them into messages of love, family, and hope. This is beautiful, Deb! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never forgotten, and in many ways, that story gets sweeter with each year.
I love this story of your Scrabble messages to each other and those who enter your home. ❤️
My memories of September 11: I was student teaching in 1st grade. I had gone to grab supplies for my cooperating teacher in the workroom and the school counselor had the new on in the office. We saw the 2nd plane hit which caused confusion in our minds as to what we were seeing. We carried on as usual for the rest of the day while we tried to get snippets of news to help us understand all that had happened. Our public school made tshirts, the principal held prayer for any staff who wanted to come pray before school, and it was a time of Americans gathering together despite our differences. May we never forget the patriots who gave their lives that tragic day.
Jennifer, I do not envy you having to explain this to little children! But I’m so thankful someone like you WAS with them and could give them hope and peace in the midst of the tragedy.
Thank you! My cooperating teacher was a believer as well so we relied on God and God alone to help us through those uncertain days. She was a gem! So kind, loving and caring to her students.
This 9/11 post blessed me today, Deb. Thank you!
I’m glad, Becky. May we never forget!
I was in my 5th grade classroom on 9- 11. The principal came down each hall and knocked on our doors, calling teachers into the hallway to tell us what had happened. He told us not to turn on a TV or mention anything and to expect calls for early dismissal. One of the neighborhoods my school served in Virginia Beach was a military housing facility. Virginia Beach is the home of Oceana Master Jet Base and Naval Air Station as well as Little Creek Amphibious Base, where Seal Team 6 is based. Down the road is Norfolk Naval Station, home of the Atlantic Fleet, so we knew we needed to be prepared for anything. Parents did come throughout the day to take their children home. Fear was prevalent.
A week later my husband and I attended an opera that we already had tickets for. Before the show began, a massive flag came down over the stage curtains. Immediately, without a cue, the audience stood and sang God Bless America! Not a dry eye among us. No, I will never forget.
Oh, what an amazing moment it must have been when that flag came down over the curtains! Thanks so much for sharing those memories, Betty!
I remember exactly where I was when we got the news that terrible day. I was at my mom’s because I had two littles & wasn’t feeling well, so she was helping me out. We didn’t have television, so we got the call from my dad at work, then my husband called. We spent the day in shock, glued to the internet, watching news blips online. I still remember what my four-year-old daughter was wearing that day… I guess my brain just took snapshots that have never left me.
God’s goodness has been a constant for me, before & after 9-11. I’ve had major health issues since our son was born almost 24 years ago. The struggle is brutal at times, but God has never left my side. And I have the loving support of my family, my church friends, & my prayer warriors all across the US & beyond.
I LOVE your Scrabble letter bowl!!!! I’m a huge word-game lover, Scrabble being one of them. We have a big magnetized Scrabble game on the wall in the kitchen. It’s fun to go back & forth with my hubby as we get a chance to grab our turn on a pass by. I think I’m gonna find me a jar or a bowl & fill it with Scrabble letters like you have… hope you don’t mind me being a copycat… that’s just so fun & I’m sorry I never thought about doing it years ago when our kiddos were little! 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! I’d love knowing that you were inspired by this post to create your own collection of Scrabble letters! (I’m sure it’s not original with me either!) Thanks for sharing, Lori. And I’m so glad God has surrounded you with prayer warriors and family and friends who are helping you through.
I read this with tears in my eyes.
Thank you for sharing this story.
It’s very sobering, isn’t it? Thanks for reading.
Terrific story and tradition…thanks for always sharing something wonderful and inspiring. And yes, it brought a tear to my eye, too…9/11 will always do that to us all.
Yes, Lynne, I pray it always brings a tear to our eyes!
We were visiting Prince Edward Island, Canada. We were driving around and were visiting the light house on the East end of the island. We were in the cafe about 2:30 when we heard a women comment there had been a bomb explosion in New York City. We left shortly afterwards and headed back to our B&B, turning on the radio. When we got to our room, we turned on the TV and discovered just how terrible it was. The line to get back into the US was miles long, and we decided to continue our trip. We called our children so everyone knew the others were OK. When we were in the capitol, there was a large banner in the central square. People were signing it expressing their concern and sympathy. Several times during the day, we were stopped by people to say how sorry they were. How did they know we were Americans? What we did notice was the siege mentality that existed back home. Bad things were done to people who were or appeared to be middle eastern. Our 19 year old son had been on his way to The Northwest for training which was canceled. He came home and went with a friend to work on retrieval at Ground Zero. He spent 10 days there. As for many, that selfless act has had long term consequences. He was just diagnosed with terminal lung cancer due to asbestos exposure. He has no health insurance. The friend he went with died 3 years ago. At this point, prayers are all he has.
My prayers go out for your son, and for his friend’s family. I’m so sorry. (And so thankful for his generous spirit!) I think many of us, including me, forget that there are ongoing personal consequences for SO many people who were involved. Thank you for sharing your story.
I was working in the administration building of a public school district. Several days after 9/11 our assistant superintendent called us all outside to the building’s front yard and instructed us to stand in a circle. I decided to bring my Bible and asked if I could read from it at some point. Permission was granted, but I was told to wait. He began in his politically correct way of referring to God as he/she then said I wanted to read a psalm. I had chosen Ps. 46, the same psalm my pastor had read at a prayer meeting at church on the night of 9/11. It was definitely a door opened by the Lord that had me reading a psalm from the Bible on public school property. Several came up to me later and thanked me for reading it.
That’s really neat that you got that opportunity, Pam. And Psalm 46 was perfect for that day. “Be still and know that I am God.”
What a wonderful post, Deb. I love Scrabble (the game and the tiles), too.
Thanks, Julie.
Thanks for this great post. As a result of your post, I bought some scrabble tiles put them in a pretty milk glass bowl and set them out on our coffee table. Our 14 grand kids discovered it and just love it! It’s a wonderful family activity to create fun messages – plus it has encouraged many spontaneous games of “speed scrabble.” Thanks again!
I just now saw this, Marilyn, but it blessed my sox off!I just love the image of your grandkids spelling and playing with the tiles! Thanks so much for sharing!