Grandma, and pearls

I need a paper topic by Friday afternoon. It's for Isaiah-Malachi, hence it needs to be from a book in that range. I like Jonah. Ok, I really like Jonah. It's short and sweet and to the point. The story flows, and there are no strange visions or really difficult theological problems. (Like, say, why does God tell Hosea to marry a woman of ill-repute? I could take that topic but I don't find it all that interesting and don't really want to write about it for 15 pages.) Back to Jonah... Sure, there's the whole whale bit. Oooo... controversy that I once again don't care about. Jonah's raw, and told from the outside, we never really know what Jonah himself is thinking. I like Jonah's stubborn self-righteousness. It's real. It's authentic and human. How many times do I shake my fist at God, shouting, "But I wanted pearls, not diamonds!" Jonah, like the rest of Israel, wanted salvation as he envisioned it. So, how do I turn that into a paper topic?


Grandma didn't get my little experiment. She got the letter and was "tickled." Then she proceeded to direct me to cousin Sharon's cookbook for the recipe to make butter. Hum... not exactly what I was going for. (Not that I won't try making my own butter.) No, Grandma, I want the story behind the making of the butter. Well, she was sure it was just like Dad said it was. No, Grandma. In your words, your memories, your handwriting. She supposed she could do that. We'll see.