Confessions

After last nights' delicious and revealing dinner, I have been thinking this morning about confessions.  I found an incredible post online about a collaborative presentation by artist Candy Chang- in which she provided the opportunity for people to share their most secret desires, regrets, fears, and heartache in an anonymous way.  Collected voting-style, these plaques were then put on display side-by-side, and some that the artist found especially poignant she blew up on giant red canvases.  It's such an inspired concept, and I actually laughed (and even teared up a little) reading these extraordinarily honest and personal "confessions."

In the early stages of researching for my book, I read a lot from 'The Confessions of Saint Augustine,' the patron saint for whom our town is named.  He's a fascinating individual, who before his pious and philosophical life, engaged in a life of pride, greed, lust for power,and all manner of debauchery.  In 'Confessions,' he opens up about his sins, mistakes, his regrets, and ultimately his discovery of God and conversion to a righteous life.  It must have been terrifying to put his whole life, embarassing secrets and all, out there for the world to see.  And yet it liberated him in a way nothing else could have.

In my book, it is not only the secrets of a mysterious city that must come to light, but the secrets of these women who live seperate lives, side by side.  I have always been fascinated by human relationships- by the way what we share, and what we withhold, has the power to change those relationships in powerful and lasting ways.  It takes a lot of courage to confess our innermost thoughts and feelings.  Some confessions can change everything, and not always for the better.  But to live a guilt-ridden, unfulfilled, or isolated life- surely that's worse than facing the truth and moving on to the unknown?  Surely there are some secrets that when revealed, can remind us of our common humanity, and draw us closer together, some confessions that can empower us and help us to move forward in our lives.

p.s. even discovered a band called "Confessions of St. Augustine," not sure how I feel about their music, but I love their album cover and they seem like pretty cool guys.  Thoughts?