CNJ+ August 2025

A MOST ENDEARING LESSON By Richard Mabey Jr.

I was recently diagnosed with a severe case of Hypertrophic Car diomyopathy. It’s two big words for a heart condition in which the walls of the heart ventricles become very thick. So much so, that they actu ally decrease the size of the sacs of the heart ventricles. There is really no cure for this heart disease. A few days after my heart cathe terization, that was the final heart procedure to verify my Cardiol ogist’s diagnosis, I went to a big comic book show. I confess that I love comic books. One of my re grets in life is that I never got to meet the late, great Stan Lee. But, that’s life. At any rate, a moment in time at the big comic book show, deeply touched my heart. It was as if the odds were a million to one, that I was at the right place, at the right time, for God to teach me a most valuable and endearing life lesson. I was looking through the boxes of old Spider-Man comic books, when this cherished moment un folded. A few feet away from me, were what appeared to be, a father and son. The dad seemed to be late middle age. The son appeared to be somewhere in his early twenties. Like me, they were looking for old Spider-Man comic books. Within a few moments, it became apparent that the young man, the son, was autistic. I write of this observation, with utmost earnest respect. I could not help but to overhear that the young man was looking for

Spider-Man and all his villains. We talked for a good 10 minutes or so. Then the father simply said that it was time for his son and him to get back to the task of finding more good Spider-Man back issues. We all shook hands and returned to searching through boxes of comic books. Upon leaving the big comic book show, the memory of that meeting with my two fellow Spider-Man fans, haunted the marrow of my bones. The incredible joy and hap piness that the son displayed, when I handed him the old Green Goblin comic book, had touched a chord in my heart. I confess that I was feeling just a bit sad when I first entered the doorway to the big comic book show. As I drove home, it dawned on me that God had brought the father and son team into my life, if even for just a few minutes, to bring a certain joy to my heart. There are really no words to convey the immense happiness that the old Green Goblin comic book brought to the heart of that fine young man. He actually jumped up and down a bit, when he first held the comic book in his hand.

The young man’s joy and exu berance over a seemingly simple thing, awoken me to realize that I needed to rise above my sadness. After pulling into my garage, I took a walk around my yard. Birds were basking in my two front yard birdbaths. The yellow flowers in my flowering bush were abounding. Birds sang and flew about my old Live Oak. A neighbor walked by, walking his dog, and we exchanged friend ly waves and greetings. The joyful young man at the comic book show, gave me the gift of a most valuable lesson. To find the joy, the happiness, the splendor in the seemingly simple things in life. More than likely, I will never see that wonderful father and son team ever again. Still, their memory abides in the chambers of my heart. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” Richard most recently published a book of poetry and short stories. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@hotmail.com.

Yours truly at one of the big comic book shows in Central Florida.

Spider-Man comic books that featured Spidey’s villain, the Green Goblin. As I was looking through my box of comic books, I came across a rather rare Green Goblin tale that seemed to be priced, very reasonably. I most respectfully, with the Spider-Man comic book with Green Goblin on the cover, asked the father and son team if they had this particular comic book. I explained that I could not but help overhear their enthusiastic search for Green Goblin comics. The young man smiled, from ear to ear. He ex claimed that he did not have that issue. The father smiled at me and thanked me for finding that particular Green Goblin comic book. We introduced ourselves to each other. Then got lost in small talk about

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CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

AUGUST 2025