SEEDS OF HOPE
BABY LOSS RETREAT
A faith-based retreat rooted in Christian lament for mothers who have experienced baby loss
April 24th - 26th
$375 CAD
What to Expect:
This retreat approaches loss through a Christian lens, drawing on the tradition of lament, prayer, and reflection found throughout Scripture. Our time together will include space for prayer, spiritual reflection, and honest conversation about faith in the midst of grief. You do not need to have clear answers or unwavering belief—this is a space that welcomes questions, doubt, and tenderness.
Our time together will be unhurried and intentional. There is no expectation to fix, resolve, or find meaning in what has been lost. Instead, we will create room to stay with what is—grief, love, faith, and uncertainty—held gently and honestly, without judgment.
At the heart of this retreat is a shared experience of lament. We are honored to welcome Bette Dickinson, an artist from Michigan, who will guide us through a time of reflection using artwork she created in the midst of her own baby loss. Through her art and story, we will explore lament as a sacred practice—giving language, form, and space to our sorrow.
There will also be time for journaling, quiet reflection, and meaningful connection with other mothers who understand this loss without explanation. Women who know what it means to hold both love and grief at the same time.
Through shared presence, creative reflection, gentle practices, and moments of rest, this retreat offers space to remember, to grieve, and to honor your baby—held in community, compassion, and care.
SEEDS OF HOPE EXPERIENCE
WITH BETTE DICKINSON
We have been through so much in this season of loss. The ache is not just in what we have lost, but in the way everything feels different now—our bodies, our dreams, our faith, even our sense of who we are. Grief can be exhausting. Carrying love for a baby who is no longer here is something no one ever prepares for.
You may find yourself asking:
How do I survive this?
What could possibly grow in a season like this?
Where is God in all of this pain?
How do I pray when I don’t have the words—or when I’m not even sure I want to pray at all?
These are not questions with easy answers. They are the holy, honest questions of a broken heart.
Through her own experience of miscarriage, artist Bette Dickinson created Seeds of Hope—a series of paintings born not from resolution, but from the hidden places of grief. This work reflects the interior landscape many mothers know well: the spaces within us where sorrow, anger, longing, fear, and faith exist side by side.
In this experience, Bette will gently lead us through her artwork as a way of noticing what is happening beneath the surface of our lives. Together, we will explore Christian lament—not as something to fix or rush through, but as a sacred practice that gives language to loss and permission to be honest with God.
This is not about forcing hope or tying grief up with spiritual language. It is about making room for what is real—about sitting in the tension between heartbreak and belief, absence and presence, longing and love. It is about trusting that even in the places that feel empty or barren, God is near, attentive to every tear, and tender with every mother who grieves.
THE LOCATION:
Our Retreat Home – SEED Lodge
The SEED Lodge blends vintage charm with modern comfort. The space carries the feeling of nostalgic summers in a beautiful wooden lodge, quiet corners that invite reflection, small thoughtful details throughout, and spaces designed for rest and reflection, along with the gentle familiarity of a grandmother’s cottage—all held together with warmth and care.
Set just outside the small town of Rocklyn—about two hours north of Toronto—the SEED Lodge is a peaceful retreat centre surrounded by fresh country air and deep quiet. The property rests on 56 acres of farm and forest, near Blue Mountain, Beaver Valley, Georgian Bay, and the Bruce Trail. Here, days feel slower, nights are star-filled, and rest comes a little more easily.
The lodge offers eight bedrooms with twin beds and generous communal spaces designed for gathering and solitude alike. The main room features soaring 30-foot ceilings and a mezzanine loft above—a perfect place for yoga, meditation, or curling up with a favourite book.
Step outside to a spacious patio with a pergola, fire pit, pea-stone paths, and blooming lavender gardens. Beyond that, a quiet forest invites wandering among tall, mature maple trees.
The SEED Lodge is a place to exhale—to unwind, gaze at the stars, and share gentle moments together around the fire.
The SEED Lodge offers more than a place to sleep—it is a place to exhale, to feel held, and to spend time in spaces that honor both solitude and togetherness.
725807 Sideroad 22B
Meaford, ON
N4L 1W6
https://www.theseedlodge.com/
The retreat includes overnight accommodation designed to support rest, privacy, and comfort—recognizing how important quiet and care can feel in a season of grief.
The lodge offers eight bedrooms, each with two twin beds. Every room has been thoughtfully decorated with original artwork created by the loving hands of many people’s grandmothers—embroideries, paintings, prints, books, and soft textiles that bring warmth and a sense of home. Comfortable mattresses, good-quality bedding, wool blankets, and duvets are provided to support deep, restorative sleep.
If you are attending with a friend, you are welcome to request a roommate when registering. Otherwise, we will carefully and thoughtfully pair you with another woman in the group.
If sharing a room would make this retreat inaccessible for you, please reach out to us. We are happy to talk through possible single-room options with care and understanding.
Washrooms are shared and designed for ease and privacy, with five sinks and mirrors, four individual toilets (one wheelchair accessible), and four individual showers (one wheelchair accessible).
THE ROOMS:
RETREAT FACILITATORS
BETTE DICKINSON
Bette Dickinson lives in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband, Steven, and their sons, Winston and Isaiah. When you look at their family, you see a beautiful family of four—but there is also two children who are not visible. Two babies they lost through miscarriage. Bette knows the ache of grief and the long, quiet waiting that follows baby loss.
It was from within that sorrow that Seeds of Hope was born. In the midst of grief, Bette did what artists so often do—she allowed her pain to take form. Through lament expressed in colour, texture, and image, her artwork became a place to name loss honestly while still making room for God’s presence.
As an artist, author, and speaker, Bette carries a prophetic sensitivity that invites reflection, connection, and holy listening. She is the published author of two books and is known for creating spaces where women encounter Jesus in deeply personal and transformative ways. Her work is marked by empathy, insight, and reverence for the sacred terrain of grief.
With every brushstroke and every word, Bette’s heart is to create safe and holy spaces where women can meet the boundless love of God—especially in places that feel broken, empty, or unfinished. Her gentle, prayerful presence honours the deep vulnerability of loss and invites God to move in ways that are tender, unforced, and real.
Bette’s presence brings light into heavy places. She is a gift to women walking through baby loss, and we are honoured to welcome her into this sacred work.
Siobhan KOCH
After ten years of infertility, Siobhan became pregnant with her daughter, Talitha. In 2022, she went into premature labour due to PPROM, and Talitha lived only minutes after birth. Her brief life forever changed the way Siobhan understands motherhood, faith, and loss. Siobhan also knows firsthand the ache of both first- and second-trimester loss and the waves of grief that continue long after the world has moved on.
In 2024, after a pregnancy marked by anxiety and deep fear following loss, Siobhan welcomed her son Silas into the world. And in 2025, as she and her husband Timo hoped to grow their family once more, they lost their baby Jude at eleven weeks when his heart stopped beating.
Siobhan and Timo have been married for fifteen years and are also parents to Paul, whom they adopted at eleven months old in 2017. Their family has been formed through adoption, infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, and living children—nothing like the story they imagined when they first stepped into marriage, yet a life where joy and grief now coexist side by side.
These experiences have shaped Siobhan’s capacity to hold space for others with uncommon depth and gentleness. She understands how baby loss reaches into every corner of a life—into faith, marriage, body, identity, and the future once hoped for. Her work is grounded not in theory, but in lived reality.
Today, Siobhan creates spaces where grief is honoured, where babies are remembered, and where mothers are never rushed toward answers or forced into hope. Her facilitation is trauma-aware, compassionate, and deeply respectful of the sacredness of loss. She is honoured to walk alongside women as they carry love for their babies in the midst of heartbreak, uncertainty, and quiet resilience.
Registration is now open.
We’d love to hold a place for you.
Still not sure? You’re welcome to book a call with us to talk through whether this retreat feels right for you.
GETTING HERE!
Planes, trains, or automobiles — we’ve got you covered.
Driving?
Easy peasy. Meaford is an easy drive, and parking is available on site at the retreat location.
Flying in?
Most guests flying in arrive through Toronto Pearson (YYZ), but you’re welcome to choose the airport that works best for you:
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)
Hamilton John C. Munro International Airport (YHM)
We’ll have airport pickups available for retreat guests. Once you’re registered, just reach out and we’ll help coordinate timing.
Please contact Siobhan Koch at siobhan@stillheld.org
to chat about the best airport and arrival time for you.
Taking the train?
VIA Rail service is available into Toronto, and we can help coordinate the next leg of your journey from there.
Our goal is to make getting here feel as simple and supported as possible — so you can arrive, exhale, and settle in.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Sharing is always optional. You are welcome to participate in whatever way feels right for you—whether that means listening, reflecting quietly, or sharing pieces of your story. There is no pressure to speak.
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Yes. You are very welcome to attend on your own—most women do. Throughout the weekend, we gently create spaces for connection, and you will be welcomed into a community of women who understand this journey and you will leave with new friendships.
We also recognize that grief can feel especially raw and tender. If bringing a trusted support person would help you feel safe enough to attend, please reach out to us. We are happy to talk through options for you to come together and share a room.
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Yes—if you have a friend who has also experienced baby loss, we warmly encourage you to come together. Sharing this experience with someone who already knows your story can be deeply meaningful and can create space for connection and healing within your friendship. On the registration form you can indicate that you would like to share a room together.
We also understand that grief can be especially tender. If bringing a trusted support person—whether or not they have experienced loss—would help you feel safe enough to attend, please reach out to us. We are happy to talk through options for coming together and sharing a room.
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Yes. This retreat is rooted in the Christian tradition and approaches grief through prayer, Scripture, and the practice of lament.
Loss touches every part of our lives—including faith. Some women find deep comfort in their relationship with God and feel that their faith has carried them through loss. Others arrive carrying questions, doubt, anger, or a sense of distance from God. This retreat welcomes the full range of those experiences.
Throughout the weekend, we will include opportunities for prayer, reflection, and spiritual practices, always with gentleness and respect for where each woman is in her journey.
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No. However, this particular retreat is rooted in the Christian tradition and will include elements of prayer, reflection, and conversation about Jesus. We want to be transparent about this so you can decide if this feels like a comfortable and supportive space for you.
All elements of the retreat are optional, and you are always welcome to participate at the level that feels right for you.
We also recognize that not every loss mom is in a place where a faith-based retreat feels accessible. We will be offering future retreats for women and families navigating loss that do not include a spiritual framework. If that would be a better fit, you are welcome to join our waitlist.
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No. Every baby matters. Whether your loss was early in pregnancy, later in pregnancy, or after birth, your grief is real and welcome here. There is no timeline for love, and no hierarchy of loss.
Whether you said goodbye to your baby many years ago or are still in the rawness of new grief, you are welcome here. We hope you will come and allow us to sit with you in your sorrow. -
That’s completely okay. This retreat is designed to care for you and your heart. There are many quiet spaces in the lodge and on the property where you can step away, rest, and reset as needed. Participation is always optional.
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No. This is not a therapy retreat. While the space is trauma-aware and deeply supportive, the focus is on connection—being with others who understand infertility and “get it.” This retreat is about care, community, and feeling less alone on the journey.
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Yes. If you are pregnant after loss and feel that this retreat would be a supportive space for you, you are welcome to attend.
At the same time, we recognize that pregnancy can be tender and complicated for many women who are grieving. You do not need to hide your pregnancy, but we ask for gentle awareness of the shared space—being mindful of conversations and allowing this weekend to remain centred on remembrance, grief, and support for those navigating loss.
For this reason, we also ask that no babies attend the retreat. If you are unable to attend without your child, we completely understand and hope you will consider joining us for a future retreat that is better suited for that season of life.
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We lovingly ask that no babies attend this retreat. This weekend is designed as a quiet, protected space for mothers to grieve, remember, and be held in community, and the presence of infants can be deeply tender for many women in the group.
If you are unable to attend without your baby, we completely understand. We hope you will consider joining us for a future retreat that is better suited for that season of your life.
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Bedding, food, and all essentials are provided. We recommend packing comfortable clothing, a journal, swimwear (for Cedarvale Wellness), and walking shoes if you’d like to enjoy the nearby trails. A full packing list will be sent to you closer to the retreat so you don’t have to worry about missing anything.
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The retreat cost is $375 per person, which includes accommodation, all meals, and retreat sessions.
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Yes. The retreat fee can be split into two payments, due February 15th and March 15th.
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Item descriptionUpon registration, guests commit to a $150 non-refundable deposit. Cancellations made on or before March 15th will receive a refund of all payments made minus the non-refundable deposit. After March 15th, refunds are no longer available due to retreat and accommodation commitments.
Not the right retreat for you right now?
If this retreat isn’t the right fit—whether the topic isn’t quite what you’re looking for or the dates don’t work—we understand. We will be offering additional retreats in the fall and would love to keep you informed.
You can join our waitlist below, to receive early access to details as soon as new retreat dates and themes are released.
