"From an LGBT perspective, at this point, immigration is going to be an even playing field," said Cara Jobson, a partner in Wiley and Jobson, a San Francisco immigration law firm. The U.S. government is working to ensure that couples who qualify will be able to get the process started right away, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said after the ruling. Same-sex couples have been flooding Jobson's office since Wednesday with requests for help applying for a green card for a foreign spouse, she said. Kirkbride and Kurzatkowska filed their papers Friday. The process includes filling out forms, getting a medical exam for the spouse applying for the green card, and showing that the foreign spouse won't be a financial burden to the U.S., Jobson said. The foreign spouse also has to prove that he or she entered the country legally.The entire process takes about three months before the green card arrives in the mail.
If
‘mindfulness’ is to create genuine change in our society, it must
involve being mindful of more than just our own need for comfort, good
health, or serenity. It must entail being mindful of the social and
economic forces that allow some to prosper while others struggle, forces
that promote and perpetuate certain behaviors and thought patterns
while discouraging or suppressing others.
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The
frustrating thing about our life is that there is no control over our
emotions. That’s why there’s no fun. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to
have fun, isn’t it? And in order to have fun you have to have control.
If someone else has control over you, that’s it: there’s no fun.
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The
key to development along the Buddhist path is repetitive routine guided
by inspirational vision. It is the insight into final freedom—the peace
and purity of a liberated mind—that uplifts us and impels us to
overcome our limits. But it is by repetition—the methodical cultivation
of wholesome practices—that we cover the distance separating us from the
goal and draw ever closer to awakening.
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Buddhism teaches us that desire, for all the agony and ecstasy, is no match for the truth.
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The
doctrine of karma is founded on the premise that the world is a just
place, but I am afraid unjust suffering stares us in the face. I think
we should struggle against injustice, but we have to accept that it
persists and that we shall never eliminate it.
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Feeling
alarm or devastation can guide us to a deep sanity, reminding us of who
we are and what we need. It can remind us that we belong to this larger
body and that we care for it. Our power to act, our power to take part
in the healing of our world, our power to bring things back into
balance, comes from the same source as that devastation. Our pain for
the world, and our power to take part in the healing of our world, both
come from the same place.
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The
movement from ordinary states of self-concern to selfless giving always
involves a gradual transformation of character, not a sudden leap. Like
any form of strength, generosity needs to be intentionally cultivated
over time, and everyone must begin in whatever state of mind they
already happen to be.
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