Last Sunset of the Year

Posted on by Julia

December 31, 2025

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year!

Today, we took a walk near the Wilson Dam just before sunset. The Tennessee River reflected the golden light.

The walk helped Bruce release his worries for a moment. Earlier in the day, the doctors felt Bruce’s dad was able to breathe on his own long enough to be taken off the ventilator. Before his dad was removed from the ventilator, Bruce received a call from his brother. His siblings at the hospital wanted to make sure the other siblings agreed on the ventilator removal. With the do-not-resuscitate order, if Bruce’s dad stopped breathing, the doctors would let him go. Bruce told his brother, “it’s not what I want, but what dad wants. I have to respect his wishes.”

This was very hard for all of them, waiting to find out if their dad would continue to breathe on his own.

Bruce’s dad did continue to breathe on his own and is now “resting comfortably”. The CT scan didn’t show any additional brain problems, so more positive news.

After our walk, we drove home to a setting sun.

Sunset
Reflected Light
Moon above Reflected Light
Moon Shot
Pinker as the Sunsets
Golden Sunset
Moon above Reflected Light

24 thoughts on “Last Sunset of the Year”

  2. Sometimes it is hard to respect someone’s wishes when we want something different. I feel for Bruce. I am glad his father is breathing on his own and is resting comfortably. I hope 2026 will be a good year for you and Bruce with continued progress on Blackberry Homestead, fun times, and a year filled with love and peace.

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    1. We are so relieved that his dad is able to breathe on his own. Every time the phone rang, I could see Bruce tense up and I felt scared. Knowing what someone wants and not wanting it for them is hard.

      Thank you for your New Year’s well wishes.

      I wish you many enjoyable experiences volunteering and seeing wildlife. May your family have a healthy, happy 2026!

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  4. That is beautiful! The waterfall. The Tennessee River. I can emphasize with you as my husband, Michael, is having challenges with the mixture of medication for his cancer treatment. Since Thanksgiving, I have watched him with bated breathe unable to eat, losing weight, trouble breathing. It is very hard and even harder to know that there are few nearby I can ask for help. Sometimes family and friends are not present or not available and in the end you learn who will be there for you. Today is a very good day as he got up, ate, walked the pug and we just wheeled down to a neighbor some frozen food and drinks he cannot take any more. I have a small appetite, so we are both losing. Anyway, I know the VA will take care of him and he has them in his corner but I totally understand. Wishing that good healthy lasts for both of us. Both our parents passed away, so I get this, also. Thanks for listening.

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    1. I am so sorry your husband is having such a struggle with his cancer treatment. The toll it takes on the body is so hard. Bruce found some ginger candies he could munch on that helped with the nausea. Maybe they would help your husband. They are called Simply Mints Natural Ginger Breath Mints. You can order them on Amazon. If you have a Whole Foods nearby, you can find something similar.

      Those who stand and wait also serve. A spouse also suffers when their spouse has cancer. Be sure to take some time for yourself. (hugs)

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      1. Thank you, Julia. I will let him know. Smell and taste changes with cancer treatment.

        Yes, it is hard on me and I feel neglected by some family and friends but it also gives me the opportunity to be stronger and more alert. There are definitely things I need to take better control of. Thank you! I have a feeling the health club rec membership Mike got me for Christmas will come in handy! It is a beautiful place and it has a pool!

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      2. Yes, I get it. Bruce wouldn’t eat anything he loved to eat during chemo. He didn’t want to have memories of it tasting bad. It was a real challenge to get him to eat. I was grateful he found the ginger candies. They helped him so much.

        Everyone focuses on the person with cancer and they don’t seem to realize how hard being a caregiver is. The health club membership sounds like a wonderful way to help burn stress chemicals up.

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      3. Thank you for sharing with me about Bruce. Mike has two kinds of medication going on now with the VA and they seem to be conflicting but they are keeping him alive. He will be speaking soon to his Doc. It is stressful. Again, thank you, Julia for sharing.

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      7. I would feed him bland food since they were less likely to cause an upset stomach and taste bad or strange. Look into an allergy diet. It helps to reduce the foods and you can slowly add some things back in to see if he can eat them. I wish you both the best in this hard time.

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Published by Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We have a 12-pound dog, Nox, who we love dearly. She has been with us since 2009. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. We bought a ranch house on a hill in the middle of five acres. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist and I’ll share my current projects. Reading is my favorite hobby.