Time to Give Thanks

It is the time of the year when I reflect on all the blessings I have been showered with this year again. In Bermuda, October is the height of hurricane season, and I am grateful that as of today, the wind has been calm so far on our paradise island. My first prayer of thanksgiving is for Bermuda’s architecture and strict building code: No one can plan for a Category 5 hurricane, but Bermuda will always be THE place where I want to be if I must go through one of them. My house is over 200 years old and The Perfumery “Stewart Hall” is over 300 years. They have seen more bad weather than we will ever in our lifetime, and they are not going anywhere. As I pray for the recovery of my cousins in the Caribbean, it is my greatest wish that they reconstruct their homes with very strong structures to sustain any future bad weather. May they come together to rebuild their Islands and find hope and fortitude.

Here are a very few things I wish to share with you for which I am most grateful:

• Marie-Sophie, Gabrielle and William: my beautiful, kind and faithful little children who are my “raison d’etre”, my pride and joy. May they continue to grow with wisdom and become good and generous people, whichever dream they choose to pursue.
• My amazing staff: for their insight, knowledge and very hard work. For their good advice and so many belly laughs – for pairing fragrance and wine (and champagne) with me (we love that) and for always looking out for me and for our business. I trust each and every one of them – I profoundly know that I am in very good hands.
• Iso-E Super, Muscenone and Hedione: These are some of the greatest aroma specialty molecules ever created which allow us Perfumers to take the art of perfumery to the next level. OK, I love the silkiness of pure orange flower oil and the velvet of the rich sandalwood, but these aroma molecules give them depth and energy like nothing else. Technology and innovation in our perfumery field allow us Perfumers to create amazing perfumes. I could not make my beautiful perfumes without their existence.
• My Lili Lovers: for your heartwarming stories, for allowing me to touch your souls with my fragrances and for your continued faithful following – you are my greatest ambassadors and an integral part of my family. You are the reason I thrive to bring the best of Bermuda in each and every bottle of perfume that I make.
• For Bermuda: for its people, its climate, its beauty, amazing sunrises at Hungry Bay and sunsets at Beau Rivage. OK, no place is perfect, but Bermuda, on a scale of one to ten, is very much all the way up there. Oh! and how much I treasure all our lovely symbols and traditions, from the moongate, to the Dark n’ Stormy, and to flying my kite on Good Friday. These all envelop me with a deep sense of belonging. I am truly blessed.
• For SunKiss and all the smiles it has given to our Lili Lovers and its yummy good feelings all summer long. What a year this has been, glamoured up with the America’s Cup 35 and its flying catamaran in the spectacular waters of Bermuda. Oh yes, our SunKiss will send it’s magic on all our coming fall and wintery weather spells.

Finally, I am reflecting on how grateful I am for my Canadian heritage and for our Canadian values of openness, respect, compassion, willingness to work hard, to be there for each other and to search for equality and justice in everything we do. If we put these values at the heart of our lives, we have so much to look forward to and to be thankful for.

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving everyone!

Isabelle