Grief moves at its own pace and during the holiday season, the weight of loss can feel especially heavy.
One Season at a Time is a gentle, restorative gathering created for those navigating life without a loved one.
Join us for a day of engaging breakout sessions led by our outstanding facilitators, delicious food from Cooking Dunn Right, and optional massages available for an additional fee. Through mindful practices, quiet reflection, and heart-centered conversation, you’ll be supported as you learn tools to care for your spirit, honor your grief, and move forward—one season at a time.
Whether your loss is fresh or has settled in over time, you are welcome here. No pressure to fix or force—just an invitation to be, feel, and begin again.
One breath.
One day.
One season at a time.
Agenda
9:30 AM ~ Arrival
10:00 AM ~ Opening Session
10:45 AM ~ Break
11:00 AM ~ Breakout Session #1
12:00 PM ~ Lunch
1:00 PM ~ Breakout Session #2
2:00 PM ~ Break
2:15 PM ~ Breakout Session #3
3:15 PM ~ Break
3:30 PM ~ Breakout Session #4
4:30 PM ~ Closing / Free Time
Keynote Speaker: Daniel Hernandez M.A., Clinical Thanatologist, LMHC
Daniel has worked in mental health for the past 25 years and specializes in the field of thanatology (the study of death, dying and bereavement) and Cross-Cultural Psychotherapy. For the past 25 years he has worked at university settings as a mental health therapist and educator. He has a profound love for teaching and has taught graduate courses in counseling and human development, and mental health.
Daniel has taught at San Jose State University, Syracuse University, Colgate University, Utica College and St. Lawrence University. Daniel has provided support to individuals and families who have suffered a loss. He has facilitated support groups that have focused on: death of a child, survivors of suicide, and widows/widowers’ groups. Daniel continues to present topic seminars in the field of death, dying and bereavement.
Daniel did his undergraduate and graduate work at San Jose State University. He has received training at the Center for Loss at Fort Collins, Colorado and is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. He is a past Chair of the People of Color Committee that addressed end-of-life issues within a cultural context. He runs our ongoing grief support groups at Together We Heal Community and has become a part of our amazing team!
Breakout Facilitators:
Jan Haag~Grief Writing
Whether we're grieving a recent or long-ago loss, writing offers us a way into healing—even if we don't address the loss head on. In this workshop, you'll receive a prompt (though you are welcome to write about anything that emerges), and we will write as a group. Then, if you like, you're welcome to share what you've just written. You never have to read, but we do ask that you listen carefully and offer the narrator a few words about what you like, what stays with you and what is strong about the writing.This process begins to turn our grief into art that heals and sustains us. Journals and pens will be provided, though you're welcome to bring your favorite writing tools (even a fully charged tablet or laptop, if that's easier for you to write on).
Tameka Jackson~Giving Grief a Space to Rest
Grief is often something we carry, manage, or try to push aside. This workshop invites us to create a resting place for our grief, somewhere it can be witnessed, honored, and laid down, even just for a moment. Using natural materials and sacred attention, we will create an altar not to our grief, but for our grief. A place it can rest.
Arcelia Cervantes~Decluttering Through Grief
Navigating the belongings of a loved one after their passing can feel overwhelming, emotional, and deeply personal. This workshop is a safe and supportive space for those grieving to explore the process of decluttering with compassion, care, and intention.
Together, we will:
• Acknowledge the emotional weight of objects and memories
• Learn gentle strategies for decision-making without pressure
• Explore ways to honor your loved one’s memory through keepsakes and rituals
• Receive practical tips for organizing and letting go, at your own pace
• Share space with others who understand the unique challenges of this journey
This is not about rushing or “moving on,” but about creating room for healing while continuing to carry love forward. Whether you’re just beginning or have been holding on for years, you are welcome exactly as you are.
During this time, we will discuss simplified steps to begin the decluttering process and share testimonies of others who succeeded in their projects and more.
Daniel Hernandez
Grief is a normal and natural, though often deeply painful, response to loss. The death of a loved one is the most common way that we think of loss, but many significant changes in one’s life can involve loss and therefore grief. Everyone experiences loss and grief at some time. The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief is likely to be. This presentation will help participants conceptualize loss and all its complexities as well as gain an understanding of the following: what constitutes a normal grief reaction, physiological dimensions in grief and what are risk factors of an unhealthy grief process.
Massage Therapy
Mini massages by multiple therapists will be available to those who choose at an additional cost. (Individually paid to the massage therapists at the time of massage. These massage sessions will NOT be during breakout groups, but will be offered 1 hour before the retreat and throughout every break throughout the retreat.)
Nourishment
Our retreats are thoughtfully catered by Crystal Dunn of Cooking Dunn Right. Generous donations from local businesses also provide healthy, whole food options throughout the retreat.
We are thrilled to bring you our 6th Wellness Retreat since 2022. This retreat will be held at Grace Vineyards in Galt, California.
*Space Limited to 40 attendees.*
*If you would like to attend, but need financial assistance with your ticket, please email us.
*If you would like to sponsor someone to attend, let us know.
In the past, we have had generous individuals and donors who make it possible for anyone who wants to attend possible. The Lord always provides.
To see more about our past retreats, visit our Wellness Retreat Page.
Testimonials ~
“Everything today was perfect! I felt nourished and held. I learned new info and renewed an old interest. I walked away with strategies to take home.”
“I was able to share all the information for wellness with my son and learned how to better myself. I met beautiful people and was able to see what is available within our community.”
“It almost feels like you all are doing God’s work. The love, understanding, comfort and compassion I have felt today is exactly what I have needed for a very long time.”
“Great day spent making new friends, great connections, healing practices that inspired hope and healing. Thank You!”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a day spent in a beautiful place with people who share the same journey I am on. People were very caring and I felt safe and comfortable sharing this process with people I didn’t know.”
Our wonderful volunteers from our last Wellness Retreat~From Grief to Grace.
Some of our other workshops & events offered throughout the year. Please see our Calendar of Events for all our offerings!
Rest & Renewal Under the Trees
As part of your healing journey at our wellness retreat, we invite you to experience the gentle power of touch through mini massage therapy sessions offered beneath the canopy of peaceful trees. In a quiet, secluded setting surrounded by nature, these 15–20 minute massages are designed to ease tension, invite calm, and offer a moment of nurturing care for your body and spirit.
Whether you are carrying the weight of grief in your shoulders, your chest, or simply in your heart, these massages provide a sacred pause—a chance to exhale, to be held, and to reconnect with your breath and body. Let the breeze, the birdsong, and the compassionate hands of our massage therapist support your path toward rest and renewal.
$ to be paid directly to the therapist.
If you are interested in getting a massage during the retreat, please indicate when you purchase your ticket or email us at hello@togetherwehealcommunity.org with (Retreat Massage) in the subject line.
Grace Vineyards is located at 28001 N Nichols Rd Galt, CA 95632
We are thrilled to have our retreat again at Grace Vineyards! Please give them a follow on Instagram and see their beautiful venue!
*If you have any questions about the retreat, please reach out to us. We hope to see you there for this transformational experience Together We Heal Community has created for you!