My husband, Jack, says, Bermuda is probably the closest he'll ever get to heaven. I think he's wrong about his fate but Bermuda is heavenly. We just returned home from our annual September visit to Bermuda where we stay on the West end of the Island at Cambridge Beaches in Somerset. Though we stay at Cambridge we travel throughout the island, shopping in Hamilton, always stopping at the Swizzle Inn and each year making a point of visiting an attraction we've missed before. This year it was the Crystal Caves and what a beautiful discovery it was.

There is so much we love about Bermuda. The blue water, pink beaches, colourful fish, friendly people; the sunrises and sunsets. Something miraculous happens to us on your Island. Our love for each other, and life, is rejuvenated and replenished amidst the serenity and beauty of the environment, and the friendliness of the people who live there. Even along the narrow roadways, that have now become quite crowded, we love hearing the sound of a car horn knowing it doesn't mean, "Get out of the way!'' But "Hello,'' and is always accompanied by a wave, and a smile.

On the last day of our most recent visit I experienced one of the most transcending moments of my life. Jack and I stayed out on the beach until well past sunset. Just as the sunset was setting, I put on my snorkel gear, and swarm out to the nearby sea garden. Six large white fish, three on each side, escorted me into the underwater world of purple sea fans, brain coral, anemone and colourful fish of varying sizes and species. A blue and yellow Angel Fish, usually shy, moved slowly out from under a ledge to meet me. Little yellow and black striped Sergeant Majors, the friendliest of fish, boldly darted in front of my mask.

Sensing I should look up, I lifted my head out of the water. The gleaming sun was just above the horizon, illuminating the clouds and casting a profusion of colour across the sky, while projecting heaven-like beams of light to the water below. A flock of Bermuda Longtail birds playfully danced overhead; flying in, diving toward me, then drifting away. In the middle of this beauty, above and below the water, I floated weightlessly, suspended in time; overwhelmed with a feeling of being in perfect harmony with nature and the universe. Free of the human burdens that can weigh one down, and the stresses that can siphon the spirit, I have never felt more at peace than at that moment. A moment provided by an extraordinary place that can truly touch the soul.

SUSAN WHITE-BOWDEN Finksburg, Maryland