Those who have been reading this blog for a while may remember the post about my conversation with Curly Putman, the legendary songwriter who penned “Green, Green Grass of Home” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” A few months ago, he passed away, and I reposted it. Instead of reposting, I should have written the following.
Curly Putman’s death hit me hard. I spent the night of his death mourning like he was a close member of my family, which should be strange because I only had one conversation with him. However, I knew why I was hurting.
At the end of our conversation, I told him that I wanted to come to his home and talk more. I wanted to ask questions about his career and about how he wrote great songs. He said that he would love that and to drop by anytime. I never did.
I could say that life got in the way. I could say that I was busy. I could say that there was a lot going on. In truth, I just never took the time to go.
When Curly Putman died, it was like being punched in the gut because I knew that I had let him down. He expected me to visit with him, and it did not happen. He wondered when I was coming by, and it never happened.
I attended his funeral because, in my mind, I felt that it was a way to make it up to him. As I watched his friends and family, I knew that they were truly hurting. They lost someone who they loved and who loved them. My pain was insignificant, and I knew that it was time for me to get over it.
Tonight, we visited my parents, and my mom said that she had seen Mrs. Putman in town. They talked for a while, and Mrs. Putman said that her husband was looking forward to my visit. However, that visit never happened.
My heart sank because it solidified what I was feeling a few months ago. I let him down, and I can never make it up.
The only thing I can do is never let it happen again. Take time to visit. Do not let time go by without taking the effort to make someone’s day. Do not waste time. Get out there and do what needs to be done.
Never again let someone down and only realize it when it is too late to do something about it.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
I know that feeling. I know it well. Sometimes, life gets in the way of our good intentions. If I could go back … if only.
I have done the same thing with family members who have passed. I am not sure why this affected me this much.
This hurts me for you. It is also incredibly timely for me, because I currently have about three such pending promises to fulfill, myself. Obligations? Perhaps, if you want to frame it that way…but these visits are also a gift – not just to the individuals who are grateful for my visit to them, but the gift of all that they are, that they offer to me. Anyway, thank you for laying bare your regret to try to spare others the same.
You are welcome. It is a lesson that we should all heed. Hurry up and fulfill those promises. Thank you for reading and for commenting.