FEATURE
PHOTOGRAPH BY RON BURKETT
FINDING HOPE AND HAPPINESS
Amazing Grace Farms grants wishes and fulfills dreams BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE Organic farmer Brett Brian once said, “Farming is a profession of hope.” Though he was referring to food crops, the sentiment is just as aptly applied to Amazing Grace Farms in Ragland, about 45 miles northeast of Birmingham. The seeds sown here aren’t the kind that will produce a feast, but instead a harvest of healing and happiness. The ministry is run by Judy Batson, a former nurse and executive director of Amazing Grace Farms. “This all came
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about a little at a time, after caring for elderly patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other age-related ailments,” explains Judy. “I watched as some of these precious people just withdrew or gave up. Without any stimulation, they just talked about days gone by and how they wished they could go fishing or hunting, pick something from a garden, or even hear a whippoorwill.” Explaining that these were but a few of the “last wishes” she heard during the past 20 years, Judy wanted a solution. “Life CONTINUED ON PAGE 25
