Blue And Her “Star Seed” Painting

We sat in the Principals office at Bishop Maginn High School in Albany NY and Jon asked Melak questions about her life growing up in Iraq and Syria during the wars and her coming to the United States.

She’s one of the many refugee kids who find the school a safe and encouraging place.  Jon’s raising money for her to be able to finish her junior and senior years there.  (You can read more about Melak’s story here)

After we spoke to Melak we went to Sue Silverstein’s Art Room where many of the kids were eating lunch.

During the summer Blue and her friends, Asher and Issachar were constants in Sue’s Art room.  They were back again today and Blue had a painting that she was commissioned to create by poet Veronica Hallissey.

Veronica bought one of Blue’s paintings to give to her granddaughter and when I told Blue about Veronica, describing her as a wise poet who has visions and brings the teaching she learns from them into the world with her writing, Blue matter of factly said, “Oh, she’s a Star Seed”

I had never heard the term before, but when I asked what it meant, Blue said it was someone who has come to earth to bring a certain knowledge.

It took Blue a while to make the painting, and I was planning on letting her know that if she couldn’t do it, it was alright.  I know the feeling of someone wanting a piece of art and just not being able to do it.  It’s one of the reason’s I stopped taking commissions.

But Blue did a beautiful job painting the Star Seed.  She expressed not only the wisdom and beauty of what such a person brings to the world but the pain and difficulty as well. Because, as Veronica has expressed in her writing, people like her are often misunderstood and don’t easily fit in.

I think it quite wonderful how Blue and Veronica, so far apart in culture, geography and age, (Blue is 18 and Veronica is 88) can come together in this way.  They will never get to know each other, and yet in some ways, they know each other very well.