Family, Grief, Photography

a year of sunsets (and sunrises)

Kari

my dad loved taking pictures of sunsets.

i don’t know if i ever shared this with you, but in december 2023, just after he was admitted to the hospital for the first time, he captured this sunset:

in the midst of all the chaos—his declining health and an impending cancer diagnosis—he still noticed beauty. he saw a sunset that needed to be photographed.

over the past year, i’ve tried to channel my dad. to look for the sunset in each day, whether it’s visible or not. so many of them have felt like conversations with him.

one morning, during soul homework, i came across this:

source

the sun doesn’t rise or set—it just is. but from where we stand, we experience it that way. maybe grief is like that too. it doesn’t have a clear start or finish, but it shows up in moments—in the way we pause, in the way something inside us shifts.

since losing my dad, i’ve been quietly collecting sunsets. sometimes a sunrise too, when the sky surprises me. he never said why he loved them, but he always stopped to look. and now, almost a year later, they feel like little postcards from him—reminders that he’s still here, just in a different light.

notice the heart on my dad’s shed

the dogs and i have settled into a quiet routine of watching the sunset from the back bedroom (formerly anna’s room) each evening when the sky is clear. we open the windows when we can, grab blankets, and sit together as the sun fades behind our home. the dogs know the routine well—when i say, “let’s go watch the sunset,” they run upstairs without hesitation.

i didn’t know my dad loved taking pictures of sunsets until he was in the hospital in december 2023. in one of the hardest times of my life, i learned something beautiful we shared. now, every time i watch the sun set—or rise—i look for him. and i always find him.

here’s to more sunrises and sunsets, and the quiet ways love stays with us.

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56 thoughts on “a year of sunsets (and sunrises)”

    1. I’m so glad you did, Michelle! It’s been such a meaningful way to spend quiet time thinking about him this past year. I honestly intend to keep it going forever. 💜

      I love that they love it too! I actually started doing this with them in the summer of 2023, and we’ve really come to enjoy it. I’ve even left functions to go watch the sunset with my dogs. 🤣💜

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  2. Beautiful captures! The wonderful thing about sunrises and sunsets – which I enjoy very much, too – is that each one is unique. You will never see the same colors twice; this is what makes them so special, and why I never tire of seeing them.

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    1. All with my phone! Phone cameras have come a long way.

      Each one really is unique. I don’t think I’d ever thought about it like that until you said it. That’s exactly why I never get tired of them either—there’s just something magical about it.

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  6. I feel I’ve squandered too many sunrises and sunsets. With the turn of the clock recently I’ve been able to appreciate some of the former. This post is a reminder to be more prescient. Thank you for this.

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    1. I’m so glad this connected with you. I’ve missed plenty too, and this past year and a half has really reminded me how important it is to slow down and just look out the window sometimes. 💜

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  7. SO many beautiful sunsets and sunrises; in fact I think I am totally going to steal this idea and do something similar on my blog. I have tons and tons of sunset and sunrise photos I’ve taken through the years in all kinds of vacation spots and at home and I think collecting some of my favorites into one giant post would make me so happy.

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  8. What a lovely remembrance. I rarely see a sunset, but the dog and I are up and about for a lot of sunrises lately and I like to sit down and watch it with her. Because we all deserve beauty, right?

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  9. Gorgeous, Kari. I love watching the sky change both with sunrises and sunsets. My favourite of your photos is a very simple one – with all your houseplants, looking out the window, seeing the neighbourhood. There’s something just so wonderful about that photo. It feels like home. xo

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  10. What a wonderful way to connect with your dad each and every day. And the sunshine of the heart on his shed is SUCH a sign from him! I love it! My favorite picture that you posted is the one from the deck with the clear delineation of the yellow and orange. Stunning!

    We can’t see the sunset from our house, but I can see the sunrise from the front of our house and I make a habit of looking for it every morning. I never really know if it will be clouds or sun, but when I get the pink and purple sky, I am in awe. Such a treat.

    Have a beautiful sun shiny week! XO

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    1. Isn’t it?? LOVE.

      That’s one of my favorites too. Those deck pictures are from my mom’s house. I swear the show there is always better because my dad’s showing off for his bride. 😘💜

      I love sunrises too, and I’m right there with you on the pink and purple skies—just magical.

      I hope you have a beautiful, sunshiney week too! 😘

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  13. I couldn’t love this post more. I miss my dad and mom so very much, and I’m always scanning the world for messages from the two of them. I love your sunset ritual, it warms my heart, the images, the dogs, you seeing your dad in the fading light. You have such a beautiful soul. Thank you for this glimpse into your heart, hugs, C

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  14. These are some really beautiful photos, and no two are alike. What a wonderful routine with the dogs. A few months ago, there was a sunset the likes of which I don’t usually see in our area. It seemed like we were at a beach. I called my folks and told them to go outside and check out the sunset. Love that you feel a connection with your dad while you enjoy these moments.

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  16. Kari, I love the excerpt you shared from thast book! I never thought of it that way, but it’s so true!

    Your collection of sunrises and sunsets are BEYOND stunning! One more glorious than the other!

    Being that I am more of a night person than a day person, sunsets touch my soul. HOWEVER, over the years, I’ve slowly moved into enjoying sunrises as well. I’m getting up earlier now, so I’ve learned to really appreciate mornings.

    Like your dad, my father loved sunsets. In fact, dusk was his favorite time of the day (as day moved into night). And what is really touching to me is that when my father passed away in Hospice, he passed at exactly dusk. I remember after he died, I looked up to the sky and said, “I see you, Dad!”

    Beautiful post, my friend! X

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    1. I never thought of it that way either!

      Thank you—it’s been a fun little project that’s really helped me heal this year. I plan to keep it going every chance I get.

      I love how you’re honoring the changes in your body as you age. I’m very much the same—I wake up earlier and go to bed earlier too.

      What a lovely story, friend. I’ll think of your dad at dusk whenever I can. 😘

      Thank you, friend.

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  19. What beautiful pictures!…but I have to say your writing was gorgeous! You nailed all the feelings and I’m positive your Dad is well aware of this post. (sigh)

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  20. What a beautifully written piece, Kari. I love how you compared the setting and rising of the sun to grief – how it doesn’t have a clear start or finish, but shows up in moments.

    It made me smile to know that you go upstairs to watch the sunset with the pups. That is so sweet.

    I’m rarely up early enough to catch the sunrise, but I’m enamored by a beautiful sunset. You’ll catch me running outside to take photos.

    I have found since I’ve gotten older, I truly notice the beauty of sunsets, birds, the moon, plants and flowers. Why don’t we notice these things when we’re young? I kid you not…sometimes the silhouette of a bare tree against the winter sky, in the setting sun, or even against a particularly beautiful formation of clouds, can almost make me cry.

    Thank you for sharing your dad’s love of sunsets with us and for your beautiful photos.

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    1. It’s been showing up in moments for me lately. It used to be constant at first. I know you know. 💜

      I love our routine—and they love it too!

      Yes! I love your sunset pictures on Instagram. Never stop sharing them.

      RIGHT?? Why don’t we? This exact scenario makes me feel the same way. It should be studied. Maybe it already is?

      Thank you for getting to know him better over this last year—and for being such a good friend to me. 😘💜

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  22. I love how your father gave you this wonderful way of connecting with him, each and every single day. I was moved to think of the sun – how it appears to rise and set each day, while always being present – as a metaphor for grief. So powerful.

    Over the past few days, as part of my decluttering and downsizing, I’ve been going through boxes of old photos to check which ones I want to keep before culling the rest, and I’ve been pulling out ones of my Dad. The boxes are the overspill, you know, the ones not good enough to frame or put into albums – but I grabbed each and every one of him, for I’m not ready to let go of even those which are ordinary, dull, out of focus and unflattering, not quite yet. I know you’ll know.

    I’ll think of sunsets and sunrises differently now because of your words <3 <3

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    1. I understand that feeling of not wanting to let go, Deb—I feel it with all of my being. I’m sending you so much love, my friend.

      And it makes me happy to know you’ll think of your sunrises and sunsets a little differently now. 😘💜

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  23. Late with my comment but just looked through all the photos a few times. They all have a different flavor and feeling attached to them. Sunsets to me are filled with sadness, and sunrises are full of hope. Even in the most beautiful place (i.e. Calabria, Italy) I still feel a twinge of sadness when the sunset arrives.

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  24. Kari this post you wrote! Omg! Totally made me cry – tears both happy & sad. All the Feelings and Epiphanies and Gained Insights. The conversations continue! Yes!

    My brain is mush & my words aren’t wording but just know I your (and your Dad’s) words & pictures meant so much to me. 💚

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  26. I love that you learned this about your Dad.

    I think there is something magical about the sunrise and sunset; like, here we go, a new day to start or a day to end, knowing tomorrow will be a fresh start. I love all your photos and the fact that you have a Sunset routine with the dogs, well that just filled my heart. XOXO

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  27. This is a beautiful post Kari. A whole year without him, and a whole year of you finding beauty. I remember you writing that your dad loved sunsets and I have thought of him often when I see a stunning sunset. I didn’t even know him! What a gift you and he have shared with a complete stranger, a new reason to acknowledge and appreciate nature’s daily burst of beauty, inspired by your love for something he loved. Thank you for that. xxxxxooooo

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