Olivia Laverne Thomas

Beyond a workplace, beyond anything else she was Mom and to us,… that meant everything.

7 kids, 7 different personalities, 7 different ways of needing her, but somehow, she knew how to love every one of us. We were her babies, her world & her reason to keep going. She loved us in the simplest ways; whether it was with food when we were hungry, shopping when she wanted to spoil us, hugs when we needed comfort, and kisses just because.

Sometimes she didn’t even have to say, "love you.” But, you could feel it as she expressed her love in many ways; it was in the plate of food she made for you, the way she checked on you, the way she hugged you, the way she could look at you and somehow make you feel like everything was going to be okay.

No matter how old we got, we were still her babies. And that’s something we’ll never stop being.

My mom wasn't just a mother at home; she was someone who brought her heart everywhere she went. 19 years she worked at Walmart. 19 years is a long time. And in those years, she did more than just work. She made people laugh. She made friends. She built bonds with people that became like family. She was the kind of person you could joke with, laugh with, talk your mess with, and just be yourself around.

If you knew my mom, you probably knew her laugh, and that big bright smile, and the little joke she had ready. She had a way of making an ordinary day feel a little less ordinary.

Her coworkers weren't just people she worked beside, they became people she cared about, people she made memories with, and people who became part of her life.

I'm sure she left pieces of herself with every person she crossed paths with. Because that's just who Mom was. She didn't have to try to be unforgettable, she just was.

August 27th is a date we'll never look at the same way again. It's that day we lost our mom,
our friend, our biggest supporter, our home.

And honestly, we're still learning how to live in a world without her.

There are going to be moments when we reach for the phone to call her; moments when we want to tell her something funny; moments when we wish she could walk through the door with food in her hands ready to feed everybody like she always did. There will be birthdays, holidays, family dinners and random “Tuesday nights” where we'll wish she was there. She will be, but not in the way we want, but in a way that matters.

She'll be in our memories, in our jokes, in our laughter, and in the recipes and the food she loved to make, in the way seven children can still feel their mother's love even after she's gone.

My Mom gave us so much of herself that she could never really leave us completely. A part of her lives in each of us. So, when we laugh, I hope we hear a little of her. When we love, I hope we love the way she did. When we sit around a table together, we will remember how she always made sure everybody was fed. And when we miss her because we will, I hope we remember that being loved by her was one of the greatest gifts we could have ever had.

She was our mom, our home, our safe place, our biggest pain to lose, and one of the biggest blessings we'll ever have. 7 kids , One Mom , A lifetime to love..

We love you, Mom. And no matter how old we get, we'll always be your babies.

Rest easy.
We'll carry you with us. Always.

- Love , Your babies