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missed a concert, graduation or birthday. She really knows each of us, and she never forgets to remind us how much she loves us all. Nine years ago, Nan started a brand new chapter again, as we all said goodbye to her husband, Tony the Tailor. She sold their home of 16 years, and moved into the apartment that my parents, Tony Jr. and Sheila Silver, had built in their basement for her. Even though my parents live upstairs, this is the first time in her life that Nan has ever lived alone. As I guided her walker around the tight corner of her bedroom after we’d finished our chat and a cup of tea, she stopped and held herself up sturdily with her walker so she could confidently perform a short Irish step dance at the end of her hallway.
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It was a move taught to her by my uncle Shawn, an Irish dance instructor, many years ago. “I still got it,” she said, nodding at me before making her way back to the living room. She’s definitely still got it. She has a charm and charisma like no other, with a dry and unintentional humour that has us rolling on the floor in knots without her ever trying. Even though she may have married into the name, she is the silver lining of our family, and she can still manage to keep us all in stitches to this very day. Karen Silver is a children’s author from St. John’s. She hosts writing workshops for local youth through Write On NL, in partnership with For the Love of Learning.
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