A toast to the Yukon …
To the beauty of the place we live, the people and their spirit who make it so, and to our Canadian military men and women in Afghanistan, as well as other lands fighting, striving and sacrificing for peace, that it may ever be so.
Thanks to the Greeks …
According to Mr. D. Fulmer, editor of A Gentleman’s Guide to Toasting, the source of some of these toasts, he tells us the origin of toasting came from the Greeks:
“From their ancient Greek origins, toasts have long enjoyed an important place in international diplomacy. The ancient custom of drinking to one’s health was a means of assuring a visiting dignitary that his beverage was not spiked with poison, an early form of political dirty tricks.”
Imagine the chaos we’d have had midst the political manipulations and machinations in Montreal and Edmonton on the weekend were such practices still in vogue eh?
A toast to the season soon to be upon us …
Je zia saho – Kan bei – Sante – Prosit – Slainte – Salute – Kampai – Na zdorovia – Skoal – Salud … the languages in order of presentation, some without accents, are: Esperanto, Chinese, French, German, Irish and Scotland, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Swedish and Spanish, and we might add, to our hosts, whoever they may be, thank you for your welcome, which was cordial, and your cordial which will be welcome, or as my friend George often toasted: “Here’s to us that are here, here’s to them that are there, and here’s to the rest of us everywhere!”
In Between:
Between the toasts there is life, daily life, from dawn to dusk we toil and we try, and we succeed and sometimes we fail. Yet, there remain some world leaders who inspire, and whose words we hold dear. First a toast:
To Peace!
Wherever you are.
“The aspiration to peace is the cornerstone of our pioneering life and labour.”
Golda Mier
“The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye.”
Jawaharial Nehru
“We have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come.”
Emporor Hirohito
“I believe in the law of love.”
Clarence Darrow.
A seasonal toast for everyone, everywhere . . .
“Cool breeze,
Warm fire,
Full moon,
Empty chair,
Empty plates,
Soft words,
Sweet songs,
Tall tales,
Short sips,
Long life.”
(John Edgerton)
To you … and to you … and you too …
May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live. Or,
May bad fortune follow you all of your days, and never catch up to you.
If you’ve heard some of these before I give you French philosopher Andre Gide’s toast to writers, speakers and all aspiring toast makers:
“Everything worth saying has already been said —
But since no one was listening,
It’s necessary to repeat it.”