The Cup That Cheers

I had a friend once who got very hot under the collar when people said "Cheers!" when they meant "Thank You!" An ardent teetotaller, she thought it had alcoholic connotations. I confess that it has never really bothered me, despite being brought up in a strictly TT home.


I frequently say "Cheers!" when I'm leaving- as a form of Cheerio, I suppose
And just occasionally "Cheers!" as a greeting to a friend
And sometimes "Cheers!" when I raise a drink to my lips [whether tea, orange juice, or wine] in the sense of good cheer, well-wishes, blessings to my [drinking] companions
But mostly I use this expression as a way of saying "Thank you!" - sincerely, but briefly and without undue fuss. 
It is good to say Thankyou - 

• to the bus driver on the Park'n'ride,
• to the person who helps you lift your suitcase onto the train,
• to the shop assistant who is genuinely helpful, 
• to the waiting staff who ensure your 'eating experience' is a good one,
• to someone who gives you a gift - especially when it is totally unexpected
• to the child who brings you something, or gives you a sudden hug
• to the guy who sees you have 1 item and he has a trolleyload, and lets you go ahead in the queue
• to the spouse who tells you that you look lovely today [when you feel anything but]
• to the friend who treats you to a coffee and spends time in proper conversation

Some of these need a proper expression of gratitude - for some 'cheers!' will suffice. I mentioned recently doing the Ipsos Mori survey. It is the second one I have done - and when I did the first one, my gift voucher was delivered by hand by the Market Researcher along with an acknowledgement slip. I had forgotten all about it until this week. I'd tucked it in my big Study Bible as a bookmark. 

I was preparing to lead our Homegroup - we are working through Philippians. It is full of words from St Paul encouraging people to show gratitude. And my IM survey slip had a lovely word-cloud on the front. 

Isn't this super - thanks in so many languages?

And I love the little reminder of the Greek word for thank you is 

εὐχαριστω - eucharisteo, from which we get the word Eucharist, the name used by many Christians for the service of breaking bread and sharing wine.

Cheers! [and thank you for reading my blog]