You might say we are in the business of light. Both literally and symbolically, the Harbour Town Lighthouse was placed here to reach out, using light as a beacon, and we feel grateful every day for the chance to keep fulfilling that role. One of the things that this work brings to light is the story behind these shorter days of winter that we are enjoying just now.
That story is that there is a little more light every day. Yes, during the fall we watch the sun set over our western horizon a little earlier each day as winter approaches. And because our lovely planet is a little bit tilted, that sunset seems to sneak south as the year draws to a close, setting behind the tip of Daufuskie Island by around Thanksgiving.
Then, one of the delights of January and February – in addition to a winter that simply means adding a golf jacket to your golf sweater – is knowing that every day the sunlight arrives earlier and stays with us just a little longer.
The Growing Warmth and Welcome
For nearly a month now, after the winter solstice – which is the shortest sunlight of the year, occurring the Saturday before Christmas this time – each day has begun about a minute earlier, and the sun has set just a tiny bit later, too. The expanding sunlight comes so gradually that most folks don’t notice.
The dawning of new possibilities is a widespread theme in the new year. Resolutions – kept and unkept – reflect our sense that this is a time to take stock. Gratitude is the biggest lesson that comes back to us, when we consider where we are and what we do. Someone pointed out recently that no one else welcomes more people to America’s favorite vacation island than our team and family here at the Harbour Town Lighthouse. The story behind that is one of persistence and invention – and reinvention. We couldn’t be more grateful for the results we see.
Inspiration Comes with the Job
As a symbol of navigation, of finding your bearings and charting your course, the Harbour Town Lighthouse and our team here have seen all kinds of journeys. That privilege comes with the job. With our vast variety of visitors over the years, the stories told here take in as big a panorama of human experience as the unforgettable view from the top of the Lighthouse. We love getting acquainted, and our guests make the lighthouse a treasure chest of life and its stories.
People get married here. Even more often, they get engaged. More often still than that, they make this and other life decisions from a new perspective, because everything seems to look a little different from the Harbour Town Lighthouse, for people who pay attention. Men and women decide to build a business of their own, choose a different career, or commit to making Hilton Head Island their full-time home – and these are just a few examples. The feeling people get from the beauty here seems right for turning over a new leaf, or for turning the page to a new chapter.
As we begin a new year of greeting guests at the Harbour Town Lighthouse, these are some of the things we reflect upon. Even though the mid-winter sunset still seems to come awfully early, we know our days are getting a little brighter all the time now, and we are grateful.