For those who may not have seen yet, international hotel and resort operator Six Senses announced the signing of a management agreement with Whitestone and partner Redrock Portfolio, Inc, for the Six Senses South Carolina Islands. Central to their plan is the regeneration of the resort assets within the Melrose community. According to the press release, the plan is to have the resort operational in 2026 which, given the amount of work that needs to be done, means that we should be seeing a significant increase in work being performed locally to prepare the property for reopening. If they are successful in their efforts, a prime chunk of Daufuskie that has been sitting lifelessly for fifteen years will once again shine, providing guests from around the world with an opportunity to experience our beautiful island. It will also mean that our local community will grow, as people come to fill the job openings that will arise because of the new business.
What this means to the broader community of Daufuskie is a question that is difficult to answer right now. Certainly, those who live within the Melrose community will be impacted differently than those living in different neighborhoods on the island, if for no other reason than proximity to assets that have long languished in disrepair. But the entire island will experience some sort of impact, and the ripples of change will likely be seen in the remotest corners of the community. Some people will embrace the changes wholeheartedly, while others will lament the increased visibility, traffic, and other impacts that will come to our small, resource and infrastructure-constrained island. So many of our residents weren’t here 15 years ago when the previous iteration of the resort was operational, so the peacefulness of a vacant resort is all that they know about life here. Well, that’s about to change.
As someone who moved here when the resort was in full swing, performing multiple weddings each weekend and bringing golfers to two different golf courses, and has since greatly appreciated the way that our community grew at a grassroots level in the wake of the resort bankruptcy, I would like to encourage all of you who rejoice in spending time on Daufuskie to do one simple thing – love the way that the island is today. Then tomorrow, when something changes, love the way that the island is on that day. And if a resort opens its doors in 2026 in Melrose, love the way that the island is on that day also. My hope is that you will embrace what today brings, instead of worrying about what the island might be like a year or two down the road.
Ultimately, my request is about making the most of what we have right now, especially since what we have is pretty spectacular. Psalm 118:24 declares “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” so we would be wise to embrace the gift that is before us. At the same time, we should remember Proverbs 27:1, which states “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Two years represents quite a few tomorrows, so even though there are plans in motion, none of us knows what that might ultimately bring. Therefore, no matter what may come tomorrow, let us rejoice in today and be glad in it.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron