In tribute

To the Editor: Eighteen years ago our son left home to work out and prepare for his Senior year of football. He never came home.

All these years later, we still remember that morning and think of that awful day. It is not as painful but there is a hollow ache in the gut that you just can’t get away from. Remembering that day is not something we do often, dredging up those emotions is too difficult, it hurts too much ... but we do not want to ever forget our son. And so we think of that Tuesday, Aug. 2, 1994 and how our lives changed.

Life is wonderful and full of joy and awful and full of pain, but we are all in this life full of all of these emotions trying to survive some days and to soar on others. On the days when life is wonderful, full of joy, living is easy, life is good. But on those days when life is awful and full of pain just surviving is difficult. It is hard to find something to live for or to even “go on” even to breathe. Eighteen years ago, we did not think we could survive this agony of losing our son, the pain was just too overwhelming.

For those who have experienced the loss of a child, you know. Time does help, the pain becomes bearable and you just keep on keeping on until one day you can think of your child without your heart feeling as if it will burst from the hurt. You can talk about your child without tears and remember with gratitude the gift of that precious life.

We are thankful for the 17 years we had John with us, he was a joy and a precious gift. Every tear we have shed was worth the pain just for having him.

God is good. We may never understand the whys of this life, the suffering that we have to endure, the loss of those we love but we can know that whatever comes He is there to go through those times with us ... we are not alone. We have an endless hope through Jesus Christ, not a hopeless end.

John never came home on that Tuesday, Aug. 2, 1994 but he went HOME to heaven. We will see him one day because he trusted in the One who gave His life for us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Life is hard, without hope I don’t know how you survive. Jesus is our hope.

For John Eskind Hollingsworth

Bill and Gloria Hollingsworth



Seeking support:

To The Editor: Sixty three years ago and a few thousand children ago, a house fire broke out here in Corsicana and youngsters had been left alone. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, but Mrs. Mary Peterson, the wife of a local businessman, was determined to keep children safer. She was aware of the dangers of leaving children at home unattended.

In response, Mary Peterson opened the doors of her home to care for the children of low-income parents. This service has continued for 63 years to provide services for families who cannot afford to pay a large part of their income for child care offered at standard rates. It is the stated mission of the Mary Peterson Child Care Center "to serve, protect and provide a nurturing and educational environment for all children who attend Mary Peterson's Daycare" at an affordable rate .

The Board of Directors propose a new building, one-story, slab built building with four classrooms to house different age groups and meet state licensing requirements for space to serve 60 children. In addition, on-site parking space will be required to meet city code. The estimated cost $247,434.16 includes demolition of existing structures, the construction of a 3700 square foot bilding and a concrete parking area.

Mary Peterson Child Care Center Board of Directors is seeking your financial support to help raise $50,000 for the building fund. any contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Joan Thomson, Director

I. Pearl Reynolds, President





Grateful for support

To the editor: First Baptist Church of Eureka would like to say Thank You to everyone who helped with the Community Kids Day on July 21. It was a huge success and we appreciate all the donations and help from the community.

Our deepest appreciation go out to each individual who donated money to help us provide a day the kids won't soon forget! The Guerra family, the Abbe family, the Lane family, Mr Josey.

We would also like to thank the following businesses for their contributions:

Astro Events of Waco for the awesome pricing on two huge water slides and bounce house; Aggie General for the donation of ice; HEB for donating hot dogs and buns; Brookshires for the gift card for food items; and Walmart for the gift card for food items.

A huge thank you to each parent who brought their children out!

And last but certainly not least, we want to thank each member who donated their time and energy and worked so hard to ensure the kids had a great time.

Marsha Jones

First Baptist Church of Eureka