Labels

I've been THINKING about labels lately---a lot. There's three reasons for that. First, I can't buy anything here without READING every detail on the label, trying to figure out what the German or the French or the Italian says (and hoping that there is an English translation somewhere) so that I know what I'm buying! I had to study the label on the detergent (which came from France) to figure out how much to put in this goofy, little compact washing machine of ours that sits in a closet! Basically, everything takes a lot longer to accomplish because I have to READ labels.

Secondly, in my efforts to tweak the organization of my scrapbook supplies and 36 years of memorabilia that needs to find its way onto cleverly designed and, most importantly,
chronically-correct scrapbook pages, I've been MAKING labels, quite a few actually. There's labels to tell me which color of cardstock is in which magazine box. To help my learning curve and for a little bit of fun, I did those in German.

Then I needed to label similar boxes that were holding supplies:

Then 16 larger-type storage boxes needed to tell me if they held geneology-type family history, more photographs, or the artwork, projects, programs, ribbons, ticket stubs, essays, and certificates of nine people! So far my organization has been done by where we lived----by year and by kid is done in a few spots, but for now I'm doing good to figure out where and when in our lives that piece of something fits. But the labels help...

Before I left the states, I bought eight nifty containers, each of which holds 12 smaller containers which hold photos. Sarah helped me organize most of those 96 containers before I came

and she added some computer-generated labels so I can grab the container and know that I have all the photos from a certain trip, a certain party, someone's graduation, or a certain holiday. The labels helped us to file them in chronological order. I'm loving it.

The third reason I have been thinking about labels a lot lately is because of an experience we had the first Sunday I was here in Switzerland. We were having stake conference in a large expo hall in Bern. For those of you who are not members of my faith, a stake conference is when 6-12 congregations which are organized under one central leadership meet together. At this conference, our visiting general authority from church headquarters in Salt Lake City was Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

We were so excited because, you see, we knew Elder Rasband in another "lifetime". Back in the 80's and early 90's, Elder Rasband was President and COO of Huntsman Chemical (DJ has worked for Huntsman companies for over 30 years). In the mid-90's, he was called to full-time church service, first as a mission president, and then as a member of the Seventy.

After the services, we made our way to the front to say hello. We hadn't seen Elder Rasband in over 15-16 years. After our initial greeting and a few words, Elder Rasband introduced us to our new stake president. He said, "President, meet the Morgans, who just moved into the Basel Ward. I have known them for 30 years. They are true disciples of Jesus Christ; put them to work." It was his tone, his conviction, his emphasis on the word, true, that kind of gave me a jolt.

Well, of course, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I believe He is our Savior and Redeemer. I believe he restored His church once more after a great apostasy. I believe He is central to our success in life, both temporally and spiritually. I believe He is the only begotten son of God, our Eternal and Heavenly Father. I believe that through Christ's atonement we can be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the His gospel. I know that he laid out the path that I must follow to return to my heavenly home. I know He loves us and is in the details of our lives. I believe He's the real deal---not just a teacher, though he was and is that. Not just a prophet, though he was that. He is our everything. Without Him, we are nothing, and this earth and everything it was created for would be utterly wasted.

That being said, I just don't get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and say to myself or aloud, "I am a true disciple of Jesus Christ." Maybe I should. I am used to being introduced as someone's mom, or someone's neighbor, or someone's seminary teacher, or Glade's daughter, or a member of a certain ward, I've just never been introduced to someone as a true disciple of Jesus Christ. It was almost shocking. Perhaps I should be shocked that I was shocked.

Though I try to do what is right and be what the Savior would have me be, maybe I don't focus on it enough. As he said the word true, I thought of every sin of omission in my life, the months I missed visiting teaching or the times I've fallen short in lifting hands that hang down or mourning with those who mourn, or in serving the poor and the afflicted. I thought of the times I've been impatient, or said an unkind thing in a moment of frustration. I thought of the times I've put something worldly in front of going to the temple or studying the scriptures. I thought of the times when my prayers are not as meaningful as they should be. Add to that the times I have judged unrighteously or not shown my gratitude adequately. What about the times that I should have been prepared to testify? All my weaknesses came gushing into my mind as though they had been held back by floodgates.

I've thought a lot about what he said those four weeks ago. I want to be labeled a true disciple of Jesus Christ. It's given me reason to consider how powerful labels can be. A few words in a few seconds off Elder Rasband's lips have given me a stronger desire to stand taller; other words coming even more quickly can destroy equally as fast. I fear that there were times that I labeled unrighteously as I raised my children. To them, I ask forgiveness.

In the meantime, I'm working on having Elder Rasband's label stick. Labels can be a good thing.

I'm hoping that in the years to come that people will be able to see His image in my countenance. I hope they will be able to see that I'm a disciple by my language, my compassion, my willingness to serve, my obedience, and my love. I hope that on judgment day, Christ will re-introduce me to my Father by saying, "She was a true disciple of mine---a good and faithful servant."