(From The Author); The work that follows is motivational and inspiring, and (as far as I am able to tell) is fairly unique in its story-telling/grammatical structure-a poetic epic if you will. It is a story about love, compassion, and genuine human care that takes place in a realm of altruism, a place where one does something for the other as well as him/herself. It takes place in a village that one must have an honest, sincere heart with an artistic focused life to find. -----------------------------------------------------------------Illness became an opportunity for growth and change for the author and for me. As I witnessed this inspiring poetic epic, nearly 15 years in the making, come into being, I was transformed by the author's courage to transmute suffering through creative work. Robert D. Romanyshyn, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology