In our family, when we have occasion to speak of one we greatly love, and there is so much we could say, we often tie our expressions to an acrostic or taper them to a single letter of the alphabet. As we have already offered many an acrostic to Rick on successive birthdays we shall pick the second path, and the letter ‘H’ (a favorite in the Hinkson family) to speak of Rick.
Hard work. Rick worked hard. We are familiar with that around here for most of us are driven when it comes to our work, sometimes even by demons (a hard to impress father; an attempt to establish a worth, even identity). No doubt there was some of that there, as is true of us all-the ‘work beneath the work’ that impels us. But with Rick over the years the hard work seemed less and less a fighting of internal demons and increasingly simply the worth of the labors and their prospects for enriching others. He seemed to get his ‘self worth’ sorted and then the work was just about the work. He did it because he loved it and the people the work might enrich. When in the last years he could scarcely do much, then finally nothing at all, he wasn’t hollowed out by that for his sense of self, remarkably, didn’t depend on it.
Always accompanying the hard work was Rick’s humor. We shall miss his impish smile. In educated circles especially among the clever often a native humor bends toward irony, even a cynical wit. Not so with Rick. His humor was never at the expense of another (except maybe himself). It always refreshed; never degraded. When we were with Rick we knew we would be in for some smiles. I remember a murder mystery dinner we had, each of us given a character. Rick was the Prussian officer incessantly clicking his heels and peppering his interactions with stiff salutes and curt ‘jawohl’s as he peered through his monocle, manifestly enjoying the pantomime.
Perhaps a condition for such humor is to not take yourself so seriously, which Rick did not. I think at root of this was a true humility. And this was not some Rawlsian sense picked up at Harvard that his abilities and opportunities were ‘moral luck’. Rick rather believed these things which so enriched his life were all gifts of God. The apostle Paul stated his conviction: “what do you have which you did not receive? Then why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it?”
So in his many abilities there was no pridefullness; only a ground note of thankfulness. You couldn’t be with him for long and not pick it up.
You’d also pick up that home was important to him. Home: that place where his family was. As much as Rick liked other people he loved the company of his family best. He found it, and made it, a place of much mirth. But as tight as was the Schneider family circle, they were always letting others in. I don't know of one World Cup soccer match I did not receive an invitation to. My daughters knew they were always in for great refreshments chez Schneider. When they were young and we were away ‘The Schneiders’ is where they wanted to stay. They gave their best. The best Russian chocolates and tea and buiscuts.
And for Rick to give of his best meant for him to share his faith. Again, you could not be with Rick for long and not discover that he had centered his whole life around Jesus and found that centering, in his own life, so abidingly transformational he could not help but wish the same for others. Jesus for Rick resolved the riddles of life; supplied its meaning and drenched it with joy.
And at the last his Jesus, in the dreadful face of a prolonged and agonizing death, gave Rick hope. Death is a mighty stress test for any hope but his walked that bitter gauntlet and seemed only to grow stronger. Some of us caught a strong whiff of that hope in his parting communication to us. As his beloved apostle Paul expressed it: “O grave where is your victory; O death where is your sting?” (I Cor 15:55). Or better, in the words of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live” (Jn 11:25).
Rick you have enriched our lives immeasurably and we miss you greatly. Yours was a life well lived. Well done! See you soon.
The Hinksons (Jon & Anita, Vienna & Brian, Geneva & Isabella…and Shirley)