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How to get more gratitude in your Thanksgiving
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If you have enough food for Thanksgiving, you are blessed. Many people in the world aren't so lucky. Slow down and enjoy your food together before racing off to the next thing. Teach your kids that part of showing gratitude is really enjoying what we have. - photo by Pamela Albin Moore, istockphoto.com/fstop123
Heather Hale
Deseret News National
Updated: Nov 16, 2014, 4:00 PM
Published: Nov 14, 2014, 8:07 PM

Of all the holidays in the holiday season, Thanksgiving is our best opportunity for bettering our families. It's the one day each year dedicated to expressing gratitude, counting blessings, and extending our reach to those who are less fortunate. We need to make every minute count. As you look for ways to center your Thanksgiving around gratitude, here are 10 suggestions.

1. Make it more than a day. 

Declare gratitude month in your house this year. Use all of November to talk about blessings as a family and create a meaningful way to document all the things you're grateful for. You might consider making athankful tree, a thankful paper chain, or gratitude journals.

2. Focus on your family. 

Get even the littlest kids involved in Thanksgiving by making the morning all about your family. Play games together, do simple crafts or build a blanket fort. Remind your kids that your greatest blessing is your family, and we show your gratitude by spending time together.

3. Reach out and serve. 

Teach your kids to meet the needs of those less fortunate than themselves. Many families volunteer at soup kitchens or homeless shelters in November, but there are many more family friendly service projects you can do together.

4. Don't go shopping. 

There are many ways people justify shopping on Thanksgiving. Some say that the workers volunteer to work those shifts so they can receive holiday pay. Others feel it's OK so long as you shop after bedtime. However, Thanksgiving is a special opportunity to opt-out of the commercialized holiday season. You owe it to yourself to take 24 hours away from thinking about what you want and focus instead on what you already have. The sales can wait until Friday.

5. Take a time out before digging in. 

All that Thanksgiving food looks and smells wonderful, but take a few minutes before eating to express your gratitude. It's good for our children to see us voice our feelings, even if it feels a little uncomfortable. Go around the table and give everyone a chance to share.

6. Slow down the meal. 

If you have enough food for Thanksgiving, you are blessed. Many people in the world aren't so lucky. Slow down and enjoy your food together before racing off to the next thing. Teach your kids that part of showing gratitude is really enjoying what we have.

7. Open up your home. 

Not everyone is lucky enough to have family around for the holidays. Open up your home and share your table with those who might otherwise spend the day alone. The natural extension of gratitude is sharing.

8. Require everyone to pitch in for cleanup. 

Show your family cook gratitude by not requiring him or her to clean up the mess. We can show our kids to put gratitude into action by lifting the burden of others. On Thanksgiving, that means doing the dishes with a smile.

9. Bring a meal to someone in need.

In addition to opening up your home, don't forget those home-bound people who may not get to celebrate. Bring a meal to an elderly neighbor or dessert to a family with a new baby. Stop by and say hello to a disabled friend after your family dinner. Teach your kids to think outside of themselves.

10. Write thank-you notes. 

How many times do we say we're grateful for a person during Thanksgiving then never tell them directly? Before you take that post-turkey nap, gather the family around the table again and hand-write thank you notes to teachers, civic workers, church leaders, friends and extended family members. Make this a yearly tradition.

This year, commit to getting more gratitude out of Thanksgiving. Go beyond simply saying what you're thankful for and find meaningful ways to put that gratitude into actions. You don't need grand gestures or elaborate crafts to get your point across. Just pick one or two things and make them a part of your yearly celebration.

Heather Hale is a fourth-generation Montanan, mom to three crazy boys, and wife to one amazing husband. She writes about passionate parenthood at moderatelycrunchy.com.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.