Forgiveness Retreat in Alabama | Wild Grace Encounters
Toward Others and Ourselves.
The Work of Forgiveness is a one-day retreat in Alabama designed for reflection, personal growth, and the process of moving toward forgiveness—both toward others and ourselves. Located near Birmingham, this retreat offers a calm and intentional space for those seeking healing, clarity, and deeper relational insight.
Our Approach
A day of poetry, reflection, solitude in nature, and thoughtful conversation exploring the difficult and liberating work of forgiveness.
Why Forgiveness?
Why Forgiveness Is Difficult
In his meditation on forgiveness, David Whyte writes that forgiveness is difficult not because it is weak — but because it moves us closer to the wound.
Closer to what hurt.
Closer to what shaped us.
Closer to what still lives quietly beneath the surface.
This one-day retreat invites participants into an honest exploration of forgiveness — not as a moral obligation, but as a possibility that may open a different future.
For some, the day may open the door to forgiveness.
For others, it may simply be the first honest step toward it.
Nothing will be forced. Each person is free to move at their own pace.
Who This Retreat Is For?
This retreat is for individuals who are:
carrying resentment or unresolved hurt
seeking personal growth and emotional clarity
wanting to strengthen relational patterns and responses with oneself and others
Four movements of the day
Throughout the retreat we will explore four movements drawn from David Whyte’s writing:
Moving Closer to the Wound
Why forgiveness first asks us to approach what we would rather avoid.
Reimagining Our Relationship to What Happened
How might we carry the wound without being defined by it.
Reimagining the Future We Want For Ourselves
Who we become when resentment no longer authors our story.
The Deepest Longing
Our desire for absolution — forgiving others, and perhaps learning to forgive ourselves.
What the Day Will Be Like
This Wild Grace retreat includes:
• Teaching and guided reflection
• Poetry and story
• Time for solitude in the natural world
• Thoughtful conversation in small groups
• A shared meal together
The setting at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana, Alabama provides a quiet landscape for reflection just south of Birmingham.
Date: May 15, 2026
Location: Alabama 4-H Center, Columbiana, Alabama
Time: 9am-4pm
Early Registration: $195
Regular Registration: $225, Early Bird $195 (Deadline is Friday, April 10, 2026)
Lunch included.
To preserve a reflective and spacious setting, seating is limited.
Retreat Details
About the Facilitators
David Murphree, LPC-S & Sara Hadgraft, LMFT, LPC
David and Sara are the founders of Wild Grace Encounters, offering retreats that invite individuals and couples to slow down, reconnect, and explore meaningful questions of life, relationship, and spiritual growth.
Their retreats combine clinical experience, reflective conversation, poetry, nature, and shared ritual to create thoughtful spaces for honest exploration.
Who This Retreat May Be Helpful For
This retreat may be meaningful for people who feel unfinished with the question of forgiveness.
Some participants may be carrying resentment or hurt that has been difficult to release. Others may feel stuck in regret, self-judgment, or the quiet weight of something they wish had unfolded differently.
For many, forgiveness is not a single decision but a long and complicated journey.
This day is designed for those who are curious about that journey.
Participants often include:
• Individuals exploring forgiveness in their own lives
• Therapists or counselors interested in reflecting on forgiveness personally
• People navigating difficult family relationships
• Those carrying regret or learning to extend compassion toward themselves
• Anyone interested in the intersection of reflection, poetry, and personal growth
No prior experience with retreats is necessary.
This is not a therapy workshop or a program designed to produce a particular outcome. Instead, it is a day set aside for reflection, conversation, and honest exploration.
Each person is free to engage the day in their own way.
Your Questions, Answered
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The retreat will be held at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana, Alabama, a quiet retreat setting just south of Birmingham. The natural surroundings offer space for reflection, walking, and conversation throughout the day.
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The Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana is about 40 minutes south of Birmingham, making it an easy day retreat for participants traveling from Birmingham and surrounding communities.
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This retreat is open to anyone interested in exploring the question of forgiveness in their own life. Participants may include individuals reflecting on difficult relationships, people navigating regret or resentment, therapists or counselors interested in personal reflection, or anyone drawn to a day of thoughtful conversation, poetry, and time in nature.
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No. While the retreat is facilitated by experienced counselors, it is not a therapy group or clinical workshop. The day is designed as a reflective retreat that includes teaching, conversation, and time for solitude in the natural world. Participants are free to engage the day at their own pace.
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Registration includes a full day retreat experience with two seasoned clinicians, offering teaching, guided reflection, and thoughtful conversation throughout the day. Lunch and refreshments are also included. Seating is intentionally limited to preserve a reflective and spacious setting for participants.