I have to be honest that in my research of Chapter 9 in Esther, I really needed to 
focus. The chapter is a little violent so I decided to zero in on one event: Purim. But in my further online research of Purim, I saw a link that said, “How to make a fishtail braid in 5 easy steps” and clicked on it. A half hour later I was back to looking up Purim with my new braiding skills… don’t act like you’ve never been there!
So on to Purim: Queen Esther and Mordecai overthrow a plot that would have all Jews destroyed and the celebration of that overthrow is called Purim. People all over Persia rejoiced not with happiness, but with insane, contagious, infectious joy. And so a yearly celebration remains so that Jewish people today can remember that same joy of their ancestors. It makes me imagine lots of food and parties and music and laughter.
I don’t know what trials and tribulations my own ancestors went through, but I do know what my Savior went through so that I can have a full life on earth and in heaven. That is worth celebration, don’t you think? I wonder if we would all benefit from rejoicing each day with our Father in heaven, hugging one another and laughing because we have an abundant life that is far beyond earthly value. I won’t pretend that my daily life looks anything like that. But now that I know how to braid, maybe I’ll do my daughters hair and have a little party to celebrate!