CNJ+ October 2025

I Remember Dad: A MOST ENDEARING GIFT By Richard Mabey Jr.

In September of 1969, I turned 16 and began my junior year at Boonton High School. It was late September that a most traumatic event came to my life. I got a “D” on a chemistry quiz. It was the first “D” I had ever received in my life. I was deeply hurt and thought that my unbroken yield of continu ing to make the Honor Roll, had come to a grinding halt. That very night, I confessed to my father about getting a grade of “D” on my first chemistry quiz. I was very embar rassed and felt ashamed. To my surprise, my father was not upset at all. The main thing that he told me was that I needed to study my chemistry, even more. It was just that simple. The weekend that followed, Dad and I took a ride to a little bookstore in Wayne. Dad bought me a booklet titled, “The How and Why of Chemistry.” This booklet presented the sub ject of chemistry in a much more understandable style than my textbook did. I read this book, from cover to cover, that weekend. When we got home from the bookstore, that Saturday morning, Dad and I sat down at the dining room table of the old Mabey Homestead. Dad worked on scouting paperwork, which was part of his volunteer job of serving as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 170. I remember that Dad and I spent that entire Saturday afternoon and evening sitting at the dining room table. Dad did not know much about chemistry. But he knew that if I was going to get a good grade on my next chemistry quiz, I needed to study more than

I had been studying. So, after church that following Sunday, once again, Dad and I began sharing the dining room table. I remember that Mr. Toomey, my chemistry teacher, gave us another chemistry quiz that following week. To my amaze ment, I got a “B” on that quiz. I owe the sun and the moon and the stars to my father. He believed in me, more than I believed in myself. He would never let me give up. He would never allow me accept defeat. My father had a rare blend of being both caring and stern with me. Now at 71, nearly 20 years have passed since my beloved father went Home to be with the Lord. I still miss him very much. A day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t thought about him. My father built a foundation in my heart and soul, that was filled with inner strength and determination. He taught me to

From the Autumn of 1969, Dad and I studying at the dining room table of the old Mabey Homestead.

never give up, to never ever give up. If you’re a parent, the most wonderful gift that you can give to your child, is to teach him or her to believe in themself, to never give up, to never surren der when things get tough. For truly, love is the most powerful force in the universe. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He has recently had two books pub lished. He currently hosts a YouTube Channel entitled, “Richard Mabey Pres ents.” Richard may be contacted at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com.

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CNJ+ | FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES

OCTOBER 2025