The Healing  is a book with a mix of poetry and prose that explores life's offerings in all its variety.   Life is complex, and accordingly the number of sections in the book has grown to sixteen during the writing.  The co-authors Mark Tochen and Helen Tochen were husband and wife, retired physicians who  explored their creativity before and during their retirement. The book displaysthe joys and sorrows in the writers' lives as well as reflections on the passing scene. There are humorous moments that confirm their togetherness and their humanity.  The great sorrow in Mark's life was the passing away of his beloved Helen in 2025. She had a career as a physician and a personal focus on being a wife and mother. Her creative skills were displayed as writer, painter of abstract art, calligrapher,  quilt-maker, pianist, and singer with a beautiful alto voice that touched people's hearts. Mark Tochen is a writer and admirer of his loving wife's skills. She was even more remarkable because she lived more than nine years with Alzheimer's while painted and playing music until the latter part of her illness.  She never lost the lovely essence that made her special.