This weekend I attended part of a weekend retreat for people who have experienced loss and are grieving. The organization is called Karmfarm, a 501-c3 nonprofit committed to supporting those experiencing grief through free retreats. They’re located in Brooksville, Kentucky, on 99 acres of scenic rolling countryside, with a lake, and hiking trails.

I arrived Friday evening, was warmly greeted and taken to my cute little cabin. There are a variety of accommodations, including glamping tents and cabins. There’s no running water or electricity, but the porta potties are very clean and they’ve thought of everything. There are hand washing stations, lanterns/flashlights, propane heaters, and golf carts to transport people to various parts of the complex.

It was founded by two women, Stephanie, who I met and Krista. Both women lost a daughter and received love and support from their families, friends, and community. They wanted to give back and help other bereaved families. Stephanie’s husband, Mike, who also lost a son, is the caretaker of the farm.

There were lots of drinks (water, Gatorade), bagged snacks, cookies and we had a delicious dinner of Italian wedding soup, and a ramen noodle salad.

After dinner there was a roaring campfire complete with all of the fixings for s’mores.

After a light breakfast the next morning, we had a 2 and 1/2 hour connection circle. This was time for the 11 attendees and approximately six facilitators to share their stories. There were tears and common threads with each story. I shared how I’ve lost all of my family, my father, my mother, my husband, and my only child. About how I’ve also have lost the hope of being a grandmother. I was hoping to meet others who might be in my situation, but most people still have other family/friends for love and support.

We had lunch and then there was free time for exploring the property and/or participating in one of the events you could sign up for, such as Reiki, massage, or yoga. I signed up for Reiki, which was very relaxing.

Afterwards, I walked down to the lake.

I decided to leave that afternoon. I’ve discovered my grief, which causes me to frequently isolate, also makes it difficult at times for me to be around large groups of people for more than a few hours. Stephanie’s sister, Lisa and I spoke during the retreat for quite a while and both of them are very warm and accepting. I hope to get together with them in the future. I prefer getting together with one or two people at a time. Organizations like this can be very helpful for people who have experienced profound loss.