Saturday, October 17, 2009

PostSecret: Confessions On Life, Death & God

I have been a fan of Frank Warren's PostSecret project for quite some time. Due to the fact that I just lost a friend to suicide two weeks ago I was even more eager to purchase his latest release. Warren's latest installment in the PostSecret line is entitled Confessions On Life, Death & God. I thought it was a fitting topic for what I am going through.


PostSecret: Confessions On Life Death & God - Trailer

I was reading the introduction of the book and Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, founder and director of the American Visionary Art Museum relayed that the first PostSecret postcard she remembered reading was one that stated, "I am a Southern Baptist Pastor's Wife. No one knows that I do not believe in God."

Not only did this strike me as profound but I suddenly began to wonder if oh so many of us are living lies. Whether they are big lies or little lies, how many of us present the only parts of ourselves that we want others to see?

Whether we are lying about who we are, or what we believe, or whether we are having a bad day but pretend to be happy so that our co-workers and friends won't really know what's going on.

Are we all liars?

Is it possible to be authentic all of the time?

While I deeply appreciate Frank Warren's intention behind the PostSecret phenomenon, I also hope that it's effect will do more than just comfort those who feel so lost. I hope that it will inspire us to be better and do better.

As Maya Angelou says..."when you know better, you do better" (if you're an Oprah fan, you know that she often shares this quote. It is often a good reminder for me).

I found many of the PostSecret postcards to be very touching. I thought I'd share some. Some I can relate to and some I cannot. I will not tell you which ones. They all have hit me hard and that is why I am posting them. The images below are not in the book. I found them as I thought they went well with the quotes.


Being a firefighter helped me find God...


I believe most people don't give Jesus a fair chance to be their friend...


Nous allons trover une solution
"We'll find a sollution"


If I died today, would there be anything you wish you had said to me?


A stranger accidentally text messaged me the other day. I didn't delete it. I look at it before I go to bed at night and sometimes during the day. I know it wasn't for me...but it's nice to pretend it was..


I haven't seen you since we broke up, but I still read your horoscope every morning and always hope you have a good day..


Even thought I feel like I'm losing my faith in Christianity, I still hate the smug attitude of most atheists; that not believing in God is something only for smart people..


I'm afraid there will be nothing outstanding or interesting to say about me in my obituary..



I'm afraid to let people see me naked because I'm scared my vagina is abnormal...



It's not God who doesn't care, it's us...


When I see people doing things I always imagine what they would look like as just a skeleton...


I hate you for letting him change you...



Please don't kill yourself tonight


I picked the lock of my friend's gun case because I didn't want to be miserable anymore. The gun wasn't in there..


I like turbulence on planes. It reminds me that I can still die..


I meditate on the toilet. (you should try it sometime)



I'm so afraid I won't remember all the people I have been..

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