As Lost Valley resident Mary Grace listened to Kurdish men recall stories of the gassing of their families during her recent trip to Iraq – she noticed a glimmer of hope in their eyes. While they recalled horrific tales of the events that occurred in Halabja, Iraq 20 years ago, a child wandered about the group. As the toddler walked by each of the men, they reached out to touch the boy – who represents “a sign of hope, a force of life” for those all too familiar with war, according to Grace. The emotion of the moment was not lost on the Madison County resident, whose eyes brim with tears as she recalls the story less than two weeks after returning from her trip.