Those are the main things that come to mind when I think of him. Once I finally got to know Mr. Darryl "Bubba" Simmons, I quickly gave him the nickname "Uncle B." He was so loving and kind yet protective that he seriously reminded me of my uncles.
I had heard about "Bubba" (and his cooking) for years but it seemed as though I was the last (or next to last) person in my family to meet him. I remember totally understanding the 'hype' when I first tried one of his dishes. . . His meals were always full of flavor and love. And I truly enjoyed seeing him in action with his family! They clearly respected each other and had a great system that had customers coming back for more and even marking their calendars- months in advance when they announced special events.
I think it's safe to say that food sparked my father's friendship with Uncle B but it quickly became apparent that they definitely shared a lot of qualities- especially their sense of humor.
I remember being pleasantly surprised when Uncle B started attending services at our church and then decided to join! Let me tell you. . . I really did look forward to being in service with him! Uncle B was full of enthusiasm and you couldn't ignore it. There would be times that I had to stop myself from laughing because I could hear the (Football) Coach in him coming out. I would be up- leading Praise & Worship and he would be yelling, "Yeah! Come on! Come on!" Uncle B was always willing to help and participate. . . and his sincere desire to grow in his relationship with God was inspiring and encouraging to me.
He honestly was the type of person that would do anything for anyone and now that I think about it, I'm wondering how he constantly just made things happen. I remember one winter when he was offering to plow people's driveways after a heavy snowfall and he was still making food deliveries! Everyone knew that he was reliable, trustworthy, and caring.
Uncle B and I had a great bond and I truly cherish that. I think he made it a point to make everyone feel special 😊. I tried to constantly let him know how much I appreciated him. . . not just for the food 😉 but also for the ways that he looked out for my family and would help out at church.
Right before I moved to Texas, I got a message from him saying that he and Aunt T(ammy) wanted to give me some of her famous lasagna and any flavored lemonade of my choosing. That lasagna is legit so that gesture meant a lot to me. . .
Losing someone like Uncle B really makes you think. Can people feel {your} love in everything you do?
I hope so.
We love and miss you, Uncle B.💙
This was amazing Kara! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!💛
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