As we move through this sacred season, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the quiet, transformational power of gratitude. Not the performative gratitude we sometimes force ourselves into, but the real kind—the kind that wells up from within, shifts the atmosphere around us, and changes the way we walk through the world.

Gratitude isn’t a nicety.

It isn’t a mood.
It isn’t something reserved for holidays or the moments when everything is going “right.”

When we practice gratitude intentionally—even when life feels heavy, uncertain, or overwhelming—we activate something deep within ourselves. Gratitude opens the heart. It interrupts old patterns. It softens the places where fear tries to take root. And most importantly, it restores our awareness of the abundance that surrounds us.

This Sunday at Unity San Francisco, we’re exploring gratitude not as a polite response to good fortune, but as a catalyst for change in our lives. A tool that helps us see clearly, love boldly, and rise resiliently.

And I’m thrilled to share that we will have a very special guest speaker joining us: Dr. JD Schramm.

JD brings a powerful blend of authenticity, wisdom, humor, and lived experience to everything he shares. His teachings on vulnerability, resilience, and the courage to stay open—especially when life challenges us—align beautifully with our theme this week. JD doesn’t just talk about gratitude; he embodies it in the way he lives, teaches, and shows up for others.

If you’ve heard him before, you know how effortlessly he weaves together storytelling, research, and spiritual insight.
If you haven’t, you’re in for an absolute blessing.

I can’t wait to welcome you into this powerful conversation and to share the morning with JD and all of you.

With gratitude overflowing,

Rev. Ken