If you have ever climbed into the choir in the golden dome of San Marco, as my husband and I did on our first visit to Venice, you have felt the warmth and softness of heaven's gilded light .

Every autumn, there comes a day when, if you wake early enough, before the clouds disperse, the red and gold leaves of the maples and oaks gild the natural light in the same way. Today is that day. It is also a day of restless air movements that feel wonderfully soft and fresh and, soughing through the trees, sound even better. Lovely as it is, I fear it may bring down many of those fiery-colored leaves, so I must enjoy them while they last.

When autumn gilds the skies,
My heart, awakening, cries,
Heaven lies around us
Had we but eyes to see it.