Spare Parts

Call me crazy, but I never understood the rationale behind the Brazilian relatives’ reasons for keeping maternally abducted Sean Goldman in Brazil after her death. About five years ago, I watched an episode of Dateline. It was the first time I ever saw or heard of David Goldman, a Tinton Falls, New Jersey father pleading across borders for the return of his only child – a son – who had been taken on false pretenses by his mother to her native Brazil and remained there still. Even back then, as I listened to the story, one thing struck a chord: If the boy is biologically his own and he wants to raise him, who are these non-related people to try to keep him from it? A little history lesson Bruna Bianchi, an aspiring Brazilian designer meets handsome aspiring model David Goldman, while the two are in Paris. In the city of love, they fall in love and marry. Soon thereafter, they move to the suburbs of New Jersey. They have a son. They name him Sean. He is th...

Every December 16 th , since I was able to read, my family has taken part in a tradition that can be traced back in Catholic history to the mid-1700s in South America. I have grown to love and cherish this cultural branch of my ethnic family tree. I am amazed at the link this creates to my ancestors and to all who’ve read and maintained the tradition throughout the centuries. Even as I sit down to read it, I recognize that I am but a small stem on this large tree. (PHOTOS): The first photo is of my own Nativity. The other photos are of traditional ways the Novena is celebrated. The reading of the Christmas Novena has been a staple in homes in the South American country of Colombia (and elsewhere) and is celebrated and revered as a prayer of countless miracles during the season of miracles. Although I was born and raised in the United States, my parents brought along the tradition to share with their children. In my childhood home I reading the passages, recited the p...