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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 | maconmagazine.com 85 e made them pause before they dug into the macaroni and cheese. Our children rolled their eyes and stifled their annoyance at my attempt to add a touch of spiritual growth to the weeknight meal. "Name one thing you are grateful for today," my husband and I challenged them. Easy answers came first: new soccer cleats, a good quiz grade at school, and a dollar for ice cream. My youngest, feeling grouchy, just slumped down and said, "I don't know. I'm just not even grateful yet!" We laughed and moved into a quick blessing and a messy meal. I give thanks for my son's honest confession. Truthfully, the "yet" he named holds space for becoming. Maybe we are not there yet; maybe we are at the beginning of a journey. Becoming a person of gratitude feels like an uncharted, uphill climb, when what we prefer is a familiar and well-manicured path. It's tough to step away from the overfilled schedules, the social media scroll, and the add-to-cart clicks that each claim there is not enough. We o en take account of what we see in measurements of satisfaction, amusement, and balance. But life is not a ledger or a scale. How can we resist measuring what we lack and begin to name our abundance? Gratitude can actually change you. Your brain, specifically. Research says that activities of gratitude have been shown to shi your brain's neural circuits. In Frontiers of Psychology, a peer-reviewed journal, neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman says gratitude practices performed repeatedly can "shi the pro-social circuit so that they dominate our physiology and our mindset." In other words, shi ing to a gratitude mindset can improve the way you interact with everyone around you, creating a ripple effect of stronger, more connected communities. A shi in mindset sounds like faithful work to me. Many faith traditions challenge people to remember and give thanks. In the Christian tradition, the liturgy of communion o en begins with a posture of giving thanks. "Li up your hearts; it is W How do we approach gratitude? "There is a tradition in Judaism of saying 100 blessings a day. I strive to be able to recognize all the blessings around me and express gratitude for the gift of living so that I can rejoice in my lot." - Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar right to give our thanks and praise." Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple Beth Israel says we can approach gratitude by "looking for "Hakarat Hatov." This practice, meaning to recognize the good, challenges us to live out the wisdom from Ben Zoma, a second-century Jewish scholar, who said, "Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot." Rabbi Bahar shares another gratitude practice. "There is a tradition in Judaism of saying 100 blessings a day. I strive to be able to recognize all the blessings around me and express gratitude for the gi of living." How can we be mindful of the gi s of living? Becoming grateful starts with seeing and attending to the necessities, luxuries, and delights within our reach. Gratitude practices shape us for difficult moments, too. Rev. Raymond Robinson Jr., Senior Pastor of Steward Chapel AME Church, says that gratitude in adversity matters. "It is easy to be thankful for those things that make us feel good or make life easier… in an uncomfortable position, would you still be grateful?" Growing in gratitude may bring discomfort. We must also be mindful of the ways we can nuance our practices when we encounter complicated gratitude. Be gentle with yourself and your beloveds. Complicated gratitude can include an honest look at the privileges we carry, the stories that our experiences offer, and the limits we face. Gratitude expands our vision of community. Pastor Robinson challenges people of faith to embrace a gratitude mindset that "doesn't allow you to focus just on yourself." We do not have to grow in our faith practices alone. In Macon, we have a vibrant interfaith network of many faith communities, called the Downtown Tapestry, who collaborate for good. One event that showcases this beautiful sense of community is the annual Community Thanksgiving Service. The Downtown Tapestry gathers people from many faith traditions at tables for worship and then making sandwiches for our neighbors in need. Becoming grateful might begin at tables like these, and end up at tables like yours. May we open our eyes, our hearts, and our hands to grow in gratitude. Congregants and faith leaders make over 300 sandwiches for the Community Free Fridge.