It didn't really surprise me yesterday when Molly suggested that we play Acquire.
As a family, we don't have many traditions. But the ones we do have, we take very seriously. And the game of Acquire is one of those traditions. The game has been around for decades. Players build hotel chains and buy stock. As with most games, the goal is to gather the most money. We can usually play the game in about an hour, and it's something that we've been doing for years.
So it was pretty predictable for Molly to request a game of Acquire last night.
We play the game because we enjoy it, but we also play it for the memories. Even when Eric and Molly were young, visits to Kentucky would always include late-night games of Acquire. Last summer, when we were sifting through my dad's belongings after he died, several of his grandchildren (independently, and without prompting) said that the only specific thing of his that they wanted was "his Acquire game." Such was the impact of those late-night games. How interesting that, instead of his favorite coin collection or pictures or furniture, his grandchildren wanted an old, well-worn game.
But not just any game. A game that represents our family history and holy time together and roots and fun. And it doesn't really matter who wins when we play it now. We play it simply because it is, for us, an anchor, a foundation, a memory.
So late last night, we sat at the dining room table and played Acquire. As usual, Molly begged to play another game once the first game was finished. Julie and I decided that it was too late for that. As a compromise, though, we left the game out on the table, all set up for another round. And I suspect that we'll be playing again this evening.
I remember that closing scene in the movie "Places in the Heart" where all the characters from the story show up in the church building (even though many of them have been gone for years). When we're playing Acquire, that same thing happens at our table. We're transported back to an earlier day. And it's not just our immediate family playing the game any more. All of a sudden, the table is filled with grandparents and sisters and cousins and nephews and nieces.
In a very real way, we are all there. Mysteriously. Supernaturally. Miraculously.
And it's all made possible by a game.
Win or lose, it's great fun.
Just for the record, though, I'm planning on winning again tonight. Game on, Molly!