These ‘Words With Friends’ Players Took the Game’s Title Literally, Now They’re BFFs

True friendships are cherished and can be hard to come by. Two strangers connecting meaningfully through social media can be even more rare, but sometimes a bond is just undeniable. That’s what happened with Spencer and Roz, two people from completely different walks of life who took “Words With Friends” literally.

Spencer Sleyon, a Harlem, N.Y.-based rapper known publicly as Half Empty, met Rosalind Guttman, a Florida-based retiree, while  playing the popular social media game, “Words With Friends.” Sleyon is in his 20s, and Guttman is in her 80s. When they first started playing against one another, neither had any idea who the other was, but the online spelling game brought them together.

They bridged the gap after Guttman used the word “phat” during one of their games. It was then that Sleyon realized she was someone in whom he could confide.

“Sometimes we’d speak about personal things, but nothing extra personal. Politics, the election, hurricanes.” Sleyon told The Root.

On Dec. 1, they got the opportunity to meet in person at Guttman’s retirement home in Florida for the most time, more than 300 games later.

so last summer i randomly met this 80 y/o woman on words with friends. we played 300+ games together and she actually ended up becoming a good friend of mine. today i got to go to florida and meet her in person? pic.twitter.com/VXDbNS4eUo

— High Class Filth (@Filth800) December 1, 2017

Spencer tweeted: “So last summer I randomly met this 80 y/o woman on words with friends. We played 300+ games together and she actually ended up becoming a good friend of mine. Today I got to go to Florida and meet her in person.”

The meeting was arranged by Amy Butler, a pastor at Riverside Church in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan. Butler organized their meet-up in West Palm Beach, Florida. Sleyon had previously confided in her, “My best friend is an 80-year-old white woman who lives in a retirement community in Florida.”

Butler, who is In the business of bringing people together, found the octogenarian amazing and hilarious, “like a Golden Girls character, and I pitched the idea of meeting Roz to Spencer and he said yes,” she told The Root.

Butler took to Twitter to share the happy union.

“Sweet day today with Spencer and his #wordswithfriends friend, Roz, watching them bond in person for the first time. #relationshipschangeus”

Sweet day today with Spencer and his #wordswithfriends friend, Roz, watching them bond in person for the first time. #relationshipschangeus pic.twitter.com/9sW0ojE318

— Amy Butler (@PastorAmyTRC) December 1, 2017

Sleyon’s tweet has had more than 1 million likes and was retweeted more than 240,000 times. Actress Gabrielle Union retweeted, “Power of words.”

Sometimes even words can’t express emotions. This photo says it all.

SHARE this heartwarming story with your friends who love word games and making new friends.