If I Had Only Known

There used to be this place in San Antonio called Playland Park. It was like a little Disneyland. Okay a very, very little Disneyland. But for someone growing up in San Antonio in the 60’s it was so very, very cool!

It had this huge wooden roller coaster. I can’t remember the name of it but it was BIG and scary for a little kid. I loved riding that roller coaster. I actually loved all the sounds and smells and noises of that place…Playland Park.

It was a part of me and my life and my memories. As I grew older I would go there with family and friends and ride that BIG, scary roller coaster. The older I got, the further back I moved in the cars on the coaster. Then one day I was in the last car. When you reached the top of the big hill, everyone would throw their hands up in the air and scream and act like idiots as the coaster raced to the bottom, leaving your stomachs and your cares somewhere far behind you.

I loved that place and swore I would take my kids there as often as I could just like my parents had done.

I remember the last time I was there. I had been fishing at the coast and came home. I learned my family was at Playland Park so I went there to meet them and have some fun. As we were leaving for the night, several members of my family wanted to ride the roller coaster one more time and get some pictures doing it.

I was tired from the trip and told them we would do it next time. We all went home not knowing that would be the last night Playland Park would ever be open. It never opened again and that BIG, scary roller coaster was torn down and sold.

I’ve often wondered why I didn’t ride that BIG, scary roller coaster just one more time. I always tell myself “If I had only known…”

There are a lot of “If I had only known…” times in our lives.

All of us have them. They may not include roller coasters or Playland Park but they may include seeing a friend or loved one for the last time.

They may include the last time your son lets you hold his hand.

They may include the last time your little girl is a princess.

They all are times we wish we had again.

It’s a human experience we all share…”If I had only known…”

Live today…treat your family…talk to your friends…take in the sights and sounds and smells…as if this were one of those moments…

“If I had only known…”

Keep Believing…