Letters Home: November 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Back in the groove

Whether I wanted to or not, I needed to get back into my normal school schedule. I have no desire to get further behind and there are now only 3 weeks left before finals. I spent the week making up a test and a quiz, getting ready for an Anatomy test on Thursday and trying to understand the statistics that I'd missed while I was gone--all while I was thinking of my brother, John, and other family members far more than I usually do.

The other part of my week was getting into the groove of actually working rather than simply training at UPS. I managed the early hours (starting work at 5 AM) by going to bed early. By Thursday I needed a nap so I could make it through my 9:45 class. I started out on unload which involves removing packages and mail bags from the containers and putting them on a belt that takes them to be sorted. We saw all kinds of things: shoe boxes from Zappos (those are light), small cube boxes that a far to heavy for their size and plenty of boxes from Amazon. Throw in a tire, some ice chests, and lots of bags of samples headed for a medical lab and it's all in a days work. It's a good workout and I ended up with some tired muscles. I also have quite a few little bruises on my legs which must be from bumping up against corners of boxes. In less than 3 hours three planes can be unloaded, the packages sorted and put on the right truck (which goes to the other sorting centers in the metro area) or onto the right feeder plane (small plane that goes to different areas of Minnesota and western Wisconsin). Next week I'm getting moved to small sort where my role will be to sort the envelopes and small packages. I won't have any sore muscles there but my brain will actually have to be functioning so things get to the right place. Small sort is the one place where they actually keep track of errors and know who made them.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Honoring John Robert Hibma

This past week over 800 people came to honor my brother, John. They didn't come because he accomplished anything great or was rich and famous. He was a simple farmer and mechanic who never lived more than 20 miles from where he grew up. They came because of the kind of man he was. I knew he was a good son, brother, husband and father yet I heard many stories this week that showed me new facets of the honorable man he was.

John was a man:

who stepped aside to let impatient, frustrated farmers get their parts first during the press of harvest.
who sat and listened to a friend going through a divorce without judgment.
who called someone he had known for only a short time to pray with them in the midst of their battle with cancer.
who barely made it through high school but left love notes to his wife and daughter when he headed off to work before they woke up.
who was one of the few fathers to take his daughter to the library and attend all the conferences at school.
who called neighbors to see how they were doing.
who backed up his pickup so he could ask the friend of a cousin how he was doing after major surgery.
who hummed as he worked.
who was fun to be around, bringing a smile to every gathering.
who thanked those who did things for him.
who always had time for a cup of coffee or to talk with kids.
who was a faithful, strong protector and provider for his family.
who was not a yes man but would speak his mind.
who stopped to see if those in the car stopped alongside the road needed help.
who kept things in perspective and helped people not make a mountain out of a molehill.
whose chiropractor and the woman who cut his hair came to his funeral.
who let the hard things in life make him better. In recent years it took more for him to get angry. He seemed more content. He was more patient and compassionate.
whose last words were "I love you" as he talked with his wife on the phone.

A friend of mine said, "John lived his life well and he finished well. I think everyone stood when he entered heaven."

I think she is right. I read through Colossians 3 and I feel like I'm reading a description of John. He knew what it was to put his hope completely in Jesus and to be given a new self. He knew Jesus was his life and as a result he was able to live life to the fullest and love well. I am honored to have known him for the past 39 years and to introduce myself as John's sister.

The man who fears the Lord is blessed...

The righteous will never be moved...

He will be honored...

He will be remembered forever.

(taken from Psalm 112)

Sunday, November 6, 2011

John

Our lives were forever changed on Friday when John, my younger brother, died as the result of a farm accident. For the moment, I don't have many words or the energy to put my thoughts in coherent sentences. So for now, here are a few photos of his life.

John Hibma

January 29, 1972 to November 4, 2011