Colors

 2023 marked the ten year anniversary of my son Alex Araeipour’s passing. I decided to pay tribute to him by publishing his book Colors that he wrote and illustrated for a high school English class assignment. He suffered from a mental illness starting in ninth grade. He   experienced and observed examples of acceptance and compassion over his lifetime along with experiences of intolerance and discrimination based on being “different” in appearance or personality etc. to those around him who didn’t make the effort to really get to know him. He was full of love, creativity, kindness, and compassion. His message in the book Colors is about being proud of who you are and accepting of other people’s differences. I felt this was an important message for all children and adults to make the time for a conversation about its importance and impact. We are all “Earthlings” on this planet. Working together for a better world starts with compassion and empathy. Alex accomplished a lot during his twenty-four years on Earth even though it was cut too short. For a better understanding about mental illness and for support check out a local N.A.M.I. (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter in or near your community or go to the national online website for resources at NAMI.org.