Maidens and Covenant Friends

"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).

Last year, when we studied the story of Queen Esther in Sunday School, I was once again struck by her strength of character, her faith, her bravery, her loyalty, but this time, something stood out to me that I had not before considered. As she prepares herself to go before the king in attempt to save her people, Esther not only asks others to gather together and fast for her, but she mentions the she and her maidens will "fast likewise;"

Who are those maidens, I wondered, the people who are by her side, the ones she trusts to stand with her, support her, hold her, and fast and pray with her and for her? The text doesn't reveal specifically who they are, but I imagine them: A small but mighty tribe, whose loyalty she doesn't have to question. She knows they are on her side no matter the circumstances. She trusts they are faithful and will demonstrate their faith on her behalf.

Then I thought, "Who are my maidens?" Who can I count on with that kind of loyalty and love? It was an easy answer. My maidens are a small group of three: Shulamith, Eli, and Amanda. (I tell Eli that, yes, I know he's a dude. But he's still one of my maidens.) These three all have firm testimonies of the Savior and of the power of prayer. From the smallest needs to the largest problems thrown at us by mortality, we are there for each other as prayer warriors. One text to the group thread, and I know, without a doubt, I have instant support and prayers from these three.

We also love to play, so this week, when both Eli and Shulamith's children had spring break, we packed up two cars and headed south to St. George. It wasn't super warm there, but we were thrilled to escape the eternal snowstorm that has been our lives these many weeks. Now, back at home, the forecast predicts yet another huge storm Monday. Thank goodness we had a tiny reprieve!

Our time there was relaxing. We played rousing games of "Ransom Notes," "What Do You Meme," and "Family Feud." Side note on Family Feud: Shulamith and Amanda might have won the regular play, but in the lightning rounds, Kennedy and I crushingly prevailed.

The best part of this particular Airbnb was a private hot tub on the back porch. Ooooh, we all sure love hot tubs! 

We also went bowling. Let me just point out that, along with everything else I suck at (which is practically everything), I super suck at bowling. While I've never bowled regularly, I'm sure I've been bowling at least a couple dozen times in my life, and never has my score hit 100. 

Until now.

Look at this score:

Winner!!

Yep! I bowled 130. I can't even believe it. I beat both Eli and Shulamith, and I would have certainly beaten Amanda too, had she not stayed back at the Airbnb to rest after a long night with a baby who doesn't sleep so well in new places. Wow!! As we drove to the bowling alley, Isaiah, who couldn't come to St. George with us, texted the following to the group: "TRUMP JUST GOT INDICTED. WE MIGHT ACTUALLY SEE THIS MAN BEHIND BARS!" I'm gonna credit my amazing, unexpected bowling victory to this wonderful, overdue news.

Not Winner.

Not Winner.

The three days with my "maidens" came far too quickly to a close, but not without one final highlight for me. My longtime friend, Patty, was able to meet me for dinner Thursday evening. When we studied the relationship between Elijah and Elisha last year and I pondered their friendship and loyalty, I again asked myself a question: "Who are my covenant friends, those outside my family, who regardless of time or circumstances, will always be mine." I could think of only five. Patty is one of those five. 

We were college roommates for just one semester, with four other girls in an apartment of six. Decades have passed since that one semester, and I don't have contact with any of the other four girls, but Patty and I remained connected. Pre-Internet, we exchanged snail mail letters regularly, and once we had email, communicated even more regularly. It was before COVID that we last saw each other, so our 3-hour dinner involved non-stop talking and catching up. We went through the kids, her three and my five, one by one, and shared all the details. She offered to drive me back to the Airbnb, and of course I couldn't find it. The GPS was useless, and finally, Eli had to come out, track us down, and lead us back. I also planned to get a picture of the two of us, but failed there as well, so you'll have to settle for a couple more random shots of the trip instead: