John Hansen - Song of the Waterwheel: The True Story of a Love and Marriage That Beat the Odds

John Hansen has presented in Song of the Waterwheel an outstanding example of love, faith and commitment. The interactions of families will be strengthened in their relationships. This book is a must read for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one.

Pastor David Friend

North Scottsdale Christian

Scottsdale, AZ

In reading Song of the Waterwheel you will meet a variety of personalities and be invited into their lifes journey. Each of them, through their story, addresses the deepest need in all our lives: to give and receive unconditional love.

Joseph Tosini

CEO of Ark Sciences

New York, NY

SONG
of the
WATERWHEEL

The true story of a love and
marriage that beat the odds

JOHN HANSEN

Copyright 2012 John Hansen

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-3022-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3023-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3021-5 (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011919332

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/12/2012

CONTENTS

This book is dedicated in loving memory of my beloved, Kristene Kinssies Hansen, whom God gave to me for a time, who loved me like no one else ever did, and through whom He taught me what true love is, and what it can do in the lives of all people everywhere.

This is a true story written for the benefit of couples and single people looking for lasting love.

If your marriage is in trouble and you wonder if there is any hope, or if you are single and need to know if the one you are spending time with is right for you, or if you are divorced or widowed and you wonder, after looking over an endless parade of disappointing candidates, if you should even hope for another shot at true love, this book was written for you. If you are burned-out looking for the right one among an endless parade of disappointing candidates, this book was written with you in mind.

In a time of national recovery and renewal from the unprecedented cultural disillusionment and anguish of the 1970s era in America, John and Kristene, both new Christians, fell in love at first sight and married quickly. Their fiery passion had others saying they wed too quickly and doubting their union was anything more than a flash in the pandoomed to flame out quickly. But John and Kristene proved them wrong. Their story is a true account of personal recovery and renewal; of defying the naysayers and beating the odds stacked against marital success through the transforming power of unconditional love and actually living the rules and principles of the Bible. The result was a love adventure of the rarest order, a marriage that was durable to the endbetter than Hollywood fiction, that was an inspiration to many people who knew them. The intensity and depth of John and Kristenes love for each other not only survived hard times, but was made stronger by the troubles and trials they went through together. Song of the Waterwheel is the story of their success, and the pathway they found to achieve unending love.

The writing of this book would not have been possible without the help of Kay Kinssies, widow of Ron Kinssies; Kay was helpful to me in recollecting family chronology and the chain of events of much that is recorded in this story. Of great help also was Kristenes cousin, Helen Scott, perhaps the closest female relative Kristene ever had. Helen was exceptionally useful in helping me understand more the extent to which Kristenes early childhood was abusive, both mentally and physically. Along the way I was helped consistently by my sister, Cynthia Davis, and my dearest friend and confidante, Bob OLeary, whose beloved wife of 51 years, Joan, passed away as this book was about to go to print. Both Cynthia and Bob unselfishly gave of their time as sounding boards and informal editors of my work. Special thanks also to my friend Ann Reiff, a nurse practitioner and a devout follower of Christ, for her valuable assistance in helping me understand the medical terminology in Kristenes medical reports and help me correctly decode them into comprehensible layman language. Finally, I give special thanks and highest honors to Kristenes uncle, Leo Swiergula, himself a widower. Without knowing it, Leos personal example of manly humility, unconditional love and selfless devotion to his beloved wife Kate, (an invalid who was the dearest of Kristenes aunts) influenced my devotion to Kristene, more than anyone I have known.

Place me like a seal over your heart,

like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death.

Its jealousy as unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot wash it away.

If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love,

it would be utterly scorned.

Song of Solomon 8:6,7

T he most beautiful woman on the planet, whom God entrusted to me for many seasons, is gone now. Her passing created a terrible void in me, and I live with the knowledge that I will never get over the loss of her. My expectation and my hope always was that we would pass into the next life together, or close to the same time, at least, with me going first, after a full lifetime. When she departed this life prematurely, I barely survived the grief that came afterward.

Including a brief courtship, we savored twenty eight joyous years that I never thought would end. The story of our life together is one of God making something beautiful and worthy out of nothing. We were two unlikely people with unstable pasts; poor marriage risks both, yet God fused us together into a fiery, romantic union that burned joyously hot and clean down to her last breath.

Kristene was so beautiful; other women both admired and envied her. She was my life, my desire, and my occupation from the moment we met, and our marriage never lost its honeymoon glow. Women were my weakness before I met her; but after I met her, none of them counted. Our passion and devotion for each other was greater even than that of Solomon and the Shulammite woman. Through our marriage adventure, the God we know and trust as Creator of Heaven and earth, revealed Himself as the Author of marriage and romance, of new beginnings and second chances, for Whom nothing is impossible.

I write to reinforce marriage as God intended it by sharing with you that what God did for us when we took up His ways, He will do for you, no matter how impossible things may seem. As for me, I still cannot believe Kristene is gone; I never will. Never. Our life together was a foretaste of Heaven.