Back home where he belongs

There are not many national stories that make the news that capture my interest. I generally find myself more drawn to the human interest type stories that a magazine like "People" or "US Weekly" would write about.

There has been this one story that I've been following since before Sam was born. We're talking more than a year and half ago. In fact, the updates on The Today Show every few weeks has become so constant, that I can't even truly remember when they first began. And, now it appears we finally have a happy ending to the saga that was David Goldman's life in trying to get his son Sean back.

For anyone not familiar with the story (although if you watch The Today Show, how could you not be??!?!), back in 2004 David Goldman's wife took their 4 year old little boy to her country in Brazil for a visit. While she was there, she refused to bring their son back home, got a divorce from David and ended up remarrying in Brazil. In 2008, the ex-Mrs. Goldman got pregnant and died in childbirth. For the past 5 years, David Goldman has been desparately trying to get his son back home to NJ. His battle has escalated all the way up to Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton and President Barack Obama. The mother's family in Brazil refused to give him back and the Brazillian courts time and time again kept ruling against David.

Over the course of the 5 years, David Goldman has made dozens of trips to Brazil and never gave up hope. Finally, this past week the ruling was in his favor and the family was made to hand over the boy to his father. As of December 24th, they were making their way back home to NJ, just in time for Christmas.

It's about time. This father lost so much time with his son that he will never get back. In a million years I'll never undestand how a mother could do that to a father. Maybe their were problems in their marriage? Maybe he was cheating on her? Maybe she was miserable living in NJ? We will never know, but to take away a child from his parent is uncomprehensible.

I am so happy that Sean can now go back to where he belongs and reconnect with a father who loves him so much.

And now, I can put visiting Brazil back on my map of places to go. I was refusing to take a trip there until justice was served. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the only thing keeping me from vacationing there. :)