"Thank you so much for enabling me to participate in this retreat. I feel like I am in such a good place and am equipped with tools I can use for the rest of my life and share with my children. This is an amazing work you guys are doing and I am so glad to have been a part of it."

"What I liked most about the Spark of Life Retreat was the love I felt from everyone. The personal touches were great. Everything was very well done, full of information and lots of loving care. The leaders made it obvious that they understood that loss is hard and that they were here to help."

"Thank you so much for these past few days. You at Spark of Life have loving hearts overflowing with compassion for those in pain. Thank you for the most helpful guidance that we have received in over a year. We have quickly found that this weekend was truly a safe place. We pray that God will continue to use Spark of Life so that you may lead and encourage other hurting parents. We will always be available to speak to others about our time together – as a testimony of this wonderful work. “Thank you” seems so small for something of this magnitude. Forever grateful & Living Forward….."

"What an enjoyable weekend that came at just the right time for us. We continue to feel good about the things we learned and are now ready to begin our action plan. We can’t thank you enough for the great job you did in presenting the material. In addition, we came away with a couple of good friends—as well as a couple of pounds. Thank you so much for this important work.”

“It is hard to explain the wonderful experience this weekend. The information is powerful in every respect and gave me hope! Thank you.”

"Although we lost our son Jay over 10 years ago, attending the Spark of Life Retreat was still very enriching.  One of the more painful feelings during such a loss is that of feeling as if you are the only one that has experienced such grief.  Meeting and working with others with like trials was very helpful and rewarding.  We wholeheartedly recommend a Spark of Life Retreat."

“Whether your grief is new and fresh or buried deep with time, the Spark of Life Retreat will help take you down a pathway of healing with caring people. It will still be each ones grief journey to travel but it helps when you have the tools to learn to cope and find a new normal.”

"Really, this retreat was almost perfect. The groups were so well put together. I walked away feeling as if I made new friends and mentors. I will say it again – there was such love here on this retreat. It made it stand out from any other retreat I have ever been on. It was wonderful!"

"I am so glad to have come to the Spark of Life retreat. The feelings of being a worthy person, loved, someone caring, encouragement, and realize there is hope that you gave me means very much. I will always be grateful for the hope I found for life at this retreat."

"All I can say is WOW! and THANK YOU! Thank you so much for the wonderful gift that you have given me – the hope that I can once again enjoy a rich and fulfilling life! I really never dreamed that it was even possible, but now I’ve been given the tools to be able to start trying to move forward. Such a gift can never be taken away or broken, and I truly cherish this gift. Also, as I went through the retreat it was almost as if I could feel Mike (my love, life, & loss) telling me to start trying to move forward. This is all such powerful stuff and I feel so blessed to have been a pat of this blessed event! Again, thank you so very much and I pray God continues to richly bless your work."

"What a precious gift Spark of Life have given Carol and me this weekend. Knowledge, application, and unconditional acceptance were shared with us and have impacted our life. May God’s love, peace and impowering grace be upon you."

“The Spark of Life Retreat I attended not only helped me personally, but also gave me a wealth of information I can use to help others in many of the support groups we have at Hope House. I found the content of the retreat applies to losses of many types: loss of a child, a marriage, job, health, and even loss of  family because of addiction to substance abuse, sexual abuse, as well as financial loss. We will be using principles learned in this retreat in many of our groups. Thank you and may God bless Spark of Life.”

"Thank you so much for a wonderful and uplifting weekend. This has meant so much to me. I know my life will be forever changed. The accommodations here went beyond our expectations. I’m so thankful that Spark of Life helps others heal and “live forward”. I’m once again glad I ‘googled’ your foundation. I will always remember our time here. I’m truly thankful our paths crossed. I trust you will continue to heal in your grief with such a precious gift from God"

"I was a little unsure what to do before we arrived, but when we did, it was awesome. All I can say is that I will forever be grateful."

"What a precious gift you and Spark of Life have given us this weekend. Knowledge, application, and unconditional acceptance were shared with us and have impacted our lives. May God’s love, peace, and empowering grace be upon you and Spark of Life."

"Where do I begin? What an evolutionary and revolutionary weekend. Spark of Life has an unmatched spirit that belongs in all corners of the world. Spark of Life has developed a movement that can change people, not for the good but for the great. I’ve appreciated every second, conversation, joke, laugh and the occasional hug. You and your work have left an impression on me and now my family. For that, there are no words that could explain my thanks. If everyone had a touch of your care and passion for others, this world would be a different place. For that I thank you. "

“What an incredible blessing to have been a part of this weekend! We are so grateful to have had the time to share in our struggles with our losses...”

“Words are inadequate to express my sincere thanks for what this weekend has meant to me and done for me. The love and healing that has taken place is phenomenal. I hope in the future I can do something to help further this wonderful work. With Eternal love and gratitude.”

"Thank you for a wonderful weekend! We are so honored—and thankful that you have chosen to allow your grief to bless us and others. We are privileged to call you friends. You have both been so encouraging to us these past few days. Thank you."

“THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to attend the Spark of Life Retreat. Words can’t express my feeling of gratitude for what God has done here through awesome servants who were sent ‘to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted’.. Once again thank you for the whole weekend!"

“Thank you so much for providing this retreat. When I arrived, I had no idea of the work I would be doing to deal with some unfinished aspects of releasing loved ones who have passed from this life. It was good work! I also feel so much better equipped to understand other people’s need for their own space and process when they are hurting due to loss in their lives. This was a huge blessing in my life. Thanks again for every little part of the weekend!”

"Thank you for the “Spark of Life”. It truly has been a wonderful experience even when it was painful. I feel better equipped to help myself and to helping others. I am inspired to share some of your words of wisdom with my friends and colleagues so that we can all understand the grief process better. Thank you again for your advice and guidance and for sharing some of your story with me. The world is a better place with you in it."

"Thank you so much for these past few days. We have received the most helpful guidance that we have had since our son died a year ago. We have quickly found that this weekend was truly a safe place to be. Please continue to provide help for hurting people. We will always be available to speak to others about our time together at Spark of Life – as a testimony to this wonderful ministry."

"All I can say is WOW! And thank you! Thanks you so much for the wonderful gift you have given to me, that I can once again have hope. I really never dreamed that it was even possible, but now I have been given the tools to be able to start living to move forward. Such a gift can never be taken away or broken, and I truly cherish this gift. This is all such powerful stuff and I feel so blessed to have been a part of this blessed event."

"We wanted to write to Spark of Life to thank you for the event that we attended. From beginning to end, it was a very special occasion for us. We are so grateful for your vision and efforts toward this work. Certainly God is using Spark of Life in a powerful way to minister to folks who are at a very vulnerable time in their lives. We thank you for your friendship and for the kind ways you’ve reached out to us."

"Thank you for the Spark of Life retreat. It has been a blessing being here and learning about grieving. I see it as a tremendous help."

"I would like to see Spark of Life grow and grow. I personally would not change a thing. I saw and experienced so much healing, and made many new friends. There was nothing I did not like, it was almost perfect. Thank you all for this retreat."

"Please accept this donation for Spark of Life. I was so moved by your workshop this last weekend, and the work that you are doing for the grieving, and new initiative that you are planning for drug addition, that I feel a strong calling to help. While this check is just money, I want you to know that I am willing to help in other ways."

“Thank you for giving us the wonderful experience of this past weekend. We feel very loved by you and all the participants. We have been changed by the experience!”

"Thank you for such a wonderful experience. The retreat was the hardest and best experience I have had in many years. I now have hope for my future. Living forward is now something I am beginning. I have shared this with many friends and co-workers. I hope they will take advantage of what Spark of Life offers. Please continue to give others hope and healing."

“I have experienced a taste of Heaven! Pure love, acceptance-true interest, concern and validation of all my fear, pain, and loss. No condemnation or judgement! This is a true beginning for healing. Please keep it going! I am very appreciative.”

“Thank you very much for the opportunity to attend the retreat. I initially came to be a support for a friend who lost her husband. Upon arriving I quickly discovered that I had several losses of my own to process. To be able to deal with grief in a warm, loving, safe, environment is wonderful. Thank you for allowing me and my friend the opportunity to do so.”

"Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful place for us to go through this workshop. The work has been so draining. I don’t know how I would have had the energy to do it all, had I not been in such a beautiful and rejuvenating place—surrounded by such caring and supportive people. I have truly felt cared for."

"Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity to learn and begin healing through the grief process. Thanks for encouraging me to come as I was able to work on issues that had been with me since I was eight years old. What an awesome experience! You have given me the tools I need to begin living forward. I can’t thank you enough!"

“No words are adequate to express my gratitude to you for providing this weekend of processing, loving, processing, grieving, processing more and being loved. While loss and the hurt and pain have been my life since the death of my husband, this weekend has truly been a spark of life."

"I wish that I could let you know how I have cherished my time at Spark of Life and Tanglewood. The resort and personnel were fabulous! I felt so special and pampered there that I didn’t want to leave. The Spark of Life program has given me a renewed sense of hope that maybe I can find a way to once again have a rich and fulfilling life. Your generosity is amazing, and I can’t thank you enough!"

"I want you to know how I have cherished my time at Spark of Life and Tanglewood. The resort and personnel was fabulous. I felt so special and pampered there that I did not want to leave. The Spark of Life retreat has given me a renewed sense of hope that perhaps I can find a way to once again have a rich and fulfilling life. I cannot thank you enough."

"Thank you so much for allowing Spark of Life to provide for a retreat of healing. This is truly God’s work. We can never thank you enough for making this weekend possible. We are hurting following the death of our son who took his own life. Spark of Life did a great job giving tools, suggestions and love and assurance that we can live a joyous life again. Thank you for the support and vision to make Spark of Life possible."

"'Thank you' seems so small for something of this magnitude. Forever grateful and living forward."

“We attended Spark of Life Retreat in February-what a blessing! We were able to openly express our feelings of sorrow and grief and to witness the similar pains others experience as they shared their stories of the loss of a child. Through shared tears of sorrow and joy we found relief and hope. The beautiful, natural setting provided peace, refuge, and restoration. We came home with a  sense of purpose – the desire to reach out to others, to help them through their journey of grief.”

“I just attended the retreat held Dec.1-4th and I want to thank you with all my heart for all you’ve done for me. I felt so cared for that it was truly overwhelming. I came with such a whole in my heart and pain from losing my beloved wife of 23 years earlier this year. The excellent teaching, passion for this work and the bonding with the other attendees ministered to me so deeply. I know now that I must live in the present, even though it’s hard, and let go of the bars of the past with its regrets, and the future with its worries. I love you for providing me this extraordinary tool for healing. I feel like I can be a stronger father now for my teenage daughter, as well as experience more healing for myself. Thank you and bless you!”

"I can’t begin to tell you what this weekend has meant to me. It has been amazing. I have never felt connected more to a small group of people that I met 3 days ago. I feel love, acceptance and support from this experience. The leaders were fantastic and so encouraging. Thank you for this retreat."

“When I signed up for this retreat, I was completely unaware of the amazing experience I was about to have. These 4 wonderful people, who give their time & wisdom to help so many people, who have suffered a variety of losses, they make this time unforgettable. I thank you all!”