Bringing family together during special game nights

It likely comes as no surprise to most that there is a lot of brokenness going on in our families these days.
It seems like there is something lurking around every corner that tries to destroy our family system.
Divorce rates are soaring, poverty is on the rise, children are neglected and abused, parents struggle to raise kids and make ends meet, domestic violence wounds family systems and the list goes on. Many of us are let to bumble our way through life to try and pick up the broken pieces.
Unfortunately, brokenness in the journey of life seems to be as common as getting up in the morning. But I believe we have the opportunity as families, even in patterns of brokenness, to become unbroken. Simply it’s what we do with our lives and how we handle the stressors and brokenness that truly defines who the kind of person we are.
One unique way that our family has made a commitment to keeping in touch with each other is through family game nights. Our family kicked off a new season of game nights last Saturday. They will continue at least once a month, sometimes more, through the winter months. 
My youngest daughter loves game nights. She loads up a laundry basket of board games and card games and off we head to another family member’s house for an evening of games, food and lots of laughter. It’s by far one of the cheapest date nights out there.
Some of our favorite games are Apples to Apples, Rook, Phase 10, Uno Attack, Scattergories, Taboo, Life and Sorry.
The electronic devices are tossed aside and everyone gets their hands entrenched in whatever game we choose to play. I still believe cell phones and the like are the root of very little good, but I’ll save that discussion for another time.  
What makes our game nights so much fun Is that we have all ages involved from as young as 9 years old to 82.   
When I was a child, I remember having a game night on New Year’s Eve every year. We escorted the new year in with lots of hilarious games like “Honey do you love me?” played in a large circle of people all together at once. To this day, I have many fond memories of those New Year’s Eves.  
While my daughter likely doesn’t realize it yet, the best part of the night really has nothing to do with the games. I hope we are instilling in her the value of family and how important it is to get together and have fun. 
Family is the single most important influence in a child’s life. From their first moments of life, children depend on parents and family to protect them and provide for their needs. 
When a family shares principles and values, they grow together. The home and family become a foundation for the family’s shared sense of purpose. 
It doesn’t have to be a game night, but I encourage families to find something that will bring them together-- for the sake of our families. 
In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever that families go in hot pursuit of finding ways to keep the family unit together.