On the breeze of an early evening in the early spring, the Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival will celebrate its annual Sip and Stroll from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, in the lovely plaza amid The Shops at Sea Pines Center.

We might have known that the gathering power of our plaza would persist through the pandemic. The reasons behind it are powerful and human – and they go back a long way.

The collection of shops and restaurants here is a vital – living, breathing – part of the chemistry that brings The Shops at Sea Pines Center to life. At least as much as the brilliant, human design, The Shops at Sea Pines Center itself makes the dream a reality.

The season of reflection that many of us feel in January includes taking inventory of what we’ve got going for us as we step into an undiscovered year.