Everything Is A Gift

John Joseph's life is explained in vibrant, simplistic and very touching ways by a man who has devoted himself to helping others. This is an outstanding memoir, somewhat in the style of The Education Of Little Tree. We not only learn about the ancient trade language of the Mohawk people but also how certain Plains Indian medicine ways were adopted by John later in life. We learn about the Sun Ceremony and burial rites where the spirits of ancestors return to bless and propitiate the grave site. As a medic in the Vietnam War, John Joseph served his country with distinction and then when he was discharged continued to serve others in the capacity of a nurse practitioner in private life. As a lover of animals he tells what it was like to have a porcupine in the family as well as a deer. The reader is permitted to have a window into the the life of a private man who is eloquent, wise and loving to his family and his friends. Most interestingly, in later life, John has spent years caring for vets with PTSD. His unusual insight into what happens to someone whose life has been turned upside by war becomes a paen to innocence, love and charity in the true sense of the word. Quite simply, this is the moving story of a true healer who blesses others as he heals them with the heart.