We recently asked members of our youth advisory board to share creative expressions about how the new year impacts their grief. Below is a poem from Jaymul, age 16, who was seven years old when his dad died.

Another Year, Another Wave 

The clock strikes twelve, 
And the world erupts in cheer, 
But grief whispers softly, 
“Another year you’re not here.” 

The calendar flips, 
And time marches on,
Yet my heart lingers 
Where you’ve been gone. 

Sadness drapes itself 
Like a familiar cloak, 
Yet hope flickers faintly,
A light gently spoke.

For though time carries, 
What once felt unkind,
It also shapes healing, 
Reweaving my mind.

This year may bring laughter,
New moments, new skies, 
And though grief walks beside me, 
It no longer blinds my eyes.

Why we’re lovin’ it: What we appreciate most about the show “Shrinking” on Apple TV is that it shows grief through the eyes of a teenager and an adult, and how the relationship between father and daughter struggles while they grieve their mother/wife’s death. 

In this series, Jimmy, a father, and a therapist, distracts himself from the pain of having experienced the death of his wife and pushes himself away from his grieving teenage daughter, Alice, who needs support from her father now more than ever. 

This show explores something often not represented or talked about: how family dynamics suffer from dealing with the death of a shared person who died. 

In the show's third episode, “Fifteen Minutes,” Alice’s therapist, played by Harrison Ford (yeah, THE Harrison Ford), suggests that she take 15 minutes to listen to a song and allow herself to grieve. When she tries out the exercise, her dad finds her crying. Later on, in an effort to connect with her, he listens to the same song she does (“I Know the End”/Phoebe Bridgers) while on a bike ride and almost immediately starts sobbing before yelling a huge “Eff you, Phoebe Bridgers!” for making him feel all of the feelings. 

Talking about grief is messy. Still, it feels good to see characters accurately represent how grief can impact your relationships with your caregiver on TV. (Don’t worry, though; the show isn’t all the messy parts of grief; there are lots of laughs and tons of relatable moments from Alice's perspective.)

If you haven’t seen it, give it a watch!

By: Leila, age 15

There are many songs that I feel really encapsulate my grief about my brother, but one song in particular is “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” by Taylor Swift.  

In this song, she says many words that are similar to the things I thought and felt during his passing.

In the chorus, she says, “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you were bigger than the whole sky; you were more than just a short time.” These words are reminiscent of what I thought during his passing. This is because, although he was here for a short time, he still had such a big impact on so many around him. 

I think anybody who has had someone important in their life die can appreciate this song, but especially those who have lost someone younger than them, like a younger sibling, a child, or even a student, can really relate to this song more than others. Especially in the parts where it talks about the future, that person will never have. 

When we lose our person, it can be hard to let go, but we know we have to. And as challenging as it may be, at some point, we have to come to terms with the death of our person and finally say “Goodbye.” 

Why we're lovin' it: Okay, we just had to share this new video from @ExperienceCamps for grieving children from last summer. A solid laugh (anyone in the grief club will get it, for sure!) about how so many of us see cardinals as a sign of our person who died--and simply must chase after it!