Walters speach at the Memorial

Proverbs 31 from the 10th verse:
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

I need hardly rehearse for all of you how evocative of Yetta these verses are.  I am sure as I read them you thought of the stunning clothes – “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.” 

Or perhaps you thought of the magnificent wall hangings – “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.” And many of us are recipients of the fabulous
quilts  - “She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.” And did she not make sure that all of us were part of her household. 

But perhaps you missed the connections to the wonderful fabrics that Yetta worked with her hands because you were preoccupied with the references that evoke all the delicious food we ate that Yetta prepared, she did indeed bringeth food from afar and did rise up early to give meat to her household and to many others.  Many of us will remember Yetta arriving at events heavily laden with all the glorious food she had prepared.  And while I don’t think Yetta ever planted a vineyard; few of us can think of her without remembering the magical gardens. 

This afternoon her children have indeed risen up and called her blessed and they have testified to the praise, support, love, and honour she received from George.

Yetta truly was a virtuous woman who was worth more than rubies or, indeed, all of Aladdin’s cave of fine jewels.By the way, I should tell you that when plans for today
were first discussed, I suggested to Barb that I thought Proverbs 31 was very apt.  The message was relayed to Yetta and the proverb read to her.  Now Yetta’s
hearing was not at its best, and when the line “her price is above rubies” was read, she cried out, “Her vice is what?”

There is one verse of this proverb that may not seem quite so appropriate to you:
“…but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” It is no secret that Yetta was not a conventionally religious woman; she did not adhere to particular doctrines and
sectarianism attracted only her contempt.  To quote a  wonderful piece of graffiti I saw at the Cheesecake Restaurant on Granville Street over thirty years ago, Yetta’s attitude to organized religion could be summed up as “My karma just ran over your dogma.”
Nearly 200 years of excessive literalism in biblical understanding has robbed us of so much richness of meaning in the first translations of scripture into English.  In the early 17th century fear of the lord meant an awareness of the holy or of the divine,  a sense of that
there is more than can be seen or touched.  And holiness for the authors of the King James Bible meant the innermost reality in which all other realities are related.  For as much as dread and terror were synonyms for fear, so too were awe, reverence, love, trust, adoration.
I never knew anyone with a greater sense of that there is more, a greater sense of the mysteries that connect us, a greater sense of the beauty in creation and a greater sense
of calling to create beauty in creation than Yetta. I shall always remember the beauty in gardens, in meals, in clothes, in houses, and in the reaching out with beauty
to those for whom its creation was more difficult or more elusive. Yetta feared the lord in the best of its 17th century meaning.  She approached creation with awe, with reverence, and with participation. 

The death notice tells us that Yetta approached her death with curiosity and openness.  When last I visited her, she spoke of dying as a beautiful and precious time.

When we spend time with each other today, there will be tears.  But let us make sure that smiles come through those tears because we love Yetta Lees Strasdine and she loves us and that is very beautiful and a cause for much joy.

Happy Birthday, Yetta!