To be earthbound, to be smothered, is to lose the capacity for dreaming, for yearning for something worthwhile. There are those around us who distrust the chaos and disorder required by the imagination in the service of creative thought. Don't be such a dreamer! they might say. But what will we become without our dreams? When we fall, when we become discouraged, we have to get up, restart our fire and look at the Sky. Maybe it's time to lie on our backs and watch the clouds passing by. Who can control the shape and drift of clouds? Maybe there is a promise of redemption and progress in what we see above us.

Dreaming can have its own excess. Keeping our heads up is required to pursue a goal. Yet a successful pursuit depends on seeing the ground before us and the obstacles in our path. Having our heads up in the clouds is a great place to visit but not such a great place to live. Imagination is given its greatest power when partnered with analytical thought, with the ground.

The excesses of the Sky have to be moderated by the capacity for being down to Earth. Each elemental force needs the other. Fantasy makes great fuel but a lousy work plan. In addition, there are others to love, to nurture. To focus on loving others, we have to take our heads out of the clouds. Fire compliments Sky. It takes courage and will to pursue our dreams and overcome the dark words of the nay sayers, the gloom doomers. Yet, unchecked and unbalanced, Fire in the form of ambition can blind us to more earthly obstacles and needs.

How is the experience of Sky (metaphorically speaking) important in your life? In your relationships with children? Just visit the threaded message board to leave your comments and read those left by other parents. If you enjoy viewing pictures of the cosmos, be sure to visit Jeff MacQuarrie's Astronomy Home Page. Jeff graciously provided me with permission to use photos he has made available at his site.