The Picture Cube

I remember putting this cube together when my grandmother went into the hospital and was diagnosed with lung cancer. The chance that she would recover was very slim so one day I decided to take some photos of the family, past vacations, and the pets to put in this cube. I knew of course these were all things she enjoyed. My brother and I were the only two of her grandchildren who lived close to her and so we spent a great deal of our childhood around her. Her not being around would change every holiday and birthday. This was an unsettling idea that we may never have those times again. I gave her this picture cube so that if this was where it would end she could spend her last days remembering the good times. The day finally came when she died and the whole family was there. I had never witnessed a human death before and I never hope to again. It isn’t gross or anything like that, but to see it is like someone literally pushed the stop button. After this I took the cube as a reminder of her and also a reminder of the important things in life. I realized then that life seems long, but in reality it is very short. The cube reminds me that I should never take family and friends for granted and not to waste the time I have. It has been almost eight years since all this happened, and I still have the cube with me and I will never get rid of it.