Leaven

The Leaven

This poem was written for a visiting teaching conference that was presented in the San Jose 24th Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of-latter-day-saints. Analia was on the committee that was planning the conference. They had planned on using a poem about bread. The plan was to decopage the poem and give it to each sister. All of the decorations were designed around bread and the poem. But when they got the poem and read it, they found that it really wasn't what they wanted. So Analia asked me if I could try to write something that was more appropriate. I don't remember how many poems I had written at this point but based on the date, it couldn't have been more than one or two. It has always been one of my favorites.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger

12 April 1988

The Leaven

The Lord of all took thought one day

To bake a tender loaf;

To feed a child who'd lost her way,

So sad and all alone.

He didn't use the grain of wheat

Or rye to make his dough;

He used the grain of living faith

That helps a soul to grow.

He added love to faith and hope

And mixed it through and through

And water from the living well

That makes a soul like new.

And when all was prepared

To add the leaven in,

He added prayers and acts of love,

A teacher and a friend.

Now bread and people too they say

Take some time to rise,

But with love and patience

They'll grow before your eyes.

So when the Lord of all takes thought

Of bread or souls in heaven,

He asks us all to do our part

To be the needed leaven.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger

March 1978