I remember hearing this in a little girl's birthday party and found it really special. Later I found out this is actually something practised in Waldorf Inspired Schools and copied down a version of this 'Rainbow Bridge' story. You can include a personalised version of this story in your kid's birthday celebration. It truly makes him/her feel special.
This is how the story goes:
Once upon a time there was a little child named _____ who was still with the angels in heaven and he/she was very happy there. He looked at the beautiful colors and listened to the lovely music, and that was where he belonged. But one day the clouds parted in heaven and _____ saw the beautiful green earth below with all the people happily playing and working and he suddenly longed to go there and see what it was like. He saw all the rainbow colors of the earth, He saw butterflies visiting flowers and birds flying in the air. They seemed to be beckoning him. He saw fish swimming in the sea and all the different plants that covered the earth. He saw children climbing trees, running and jumping in the meadows and walking through sand and leaves. It was all so beautiful!
So he said to his angel, Please, may I go down to earth now? But his angel looked at him and said, No, it is too soon. You must wait a little while yet. So the child went and was happy and soon forgot about the earth. Then one day again he saw a glimpse of the earth through the clouds again. He saw mothers and fathers doing their work. He saw bakers and engineers and writers and farmers. He saw mothers and fathers loving their children. Then he saw a beautiful mother with love and longing in her heart for a child and he asked his angel now, May I go to her?
So he said to his angel, Please, may I go down to earth now? But his angel looked at him and said, No, it is too soon. You must wait a little while yet. So the child went and was happy and soon forgot about the earth. Then one day again he saw a glimpse of the earth through the clouds again. He saw mothers and fathers doing their work. He saw bakers and engineers and writers and farmers. He saw mothers and fathers loving their children. Then he saw a beautiful mother with love and longing in her heart for a child and he asked his angel now, May I go to her?
The angel said, You must go through the land of dreams first.
The next night the little child had a dream. He dreamed that he met a man and a woman and they stretched out their arms to him and asked him to come be their child. The child told his angel the dream. The angel said, It is now time for you to go.
So the child asked, So may I go now?
You shall see. Said the angel.
You shall see. Said the angel.
That night the child went to sleep into dreamland and while ten moons waxed and waned he rocked in a little boat. And at the end of that time a beautiful rainbow bridge stretched from heaven to earth and on it came the child as a tiny baby and slid into his mother and father's waiting arms. His parents loved him the moment they saw him and they called him _____. And it was a cool, clear, morning when he was born and the sun smiled down its greeting warm and glowing upon him. And everything about him was beautiful.
[Light a candle]
And then _____ was one. He was a shining golden child with long blond hair and bright blue eyes. He rode snug in Mommy’s starry sling. And he ran around the yard shouting “Dig! Dig!” and eating strawberry tops. And he loved to sail high into the sky on his swing hung from the big tree in the back yard.
[Light a candle]
And then _____ was two. And he moved to Massachusetts and played in the creek and rang the chimes in the lilac. He helped plant all the flowers.
[Light a candle]
And then _____ was three. He narrated everything he was doing. He could walk all the way to the big rock and back. He could even climb it too! He sat up high on the pile of suitcases on the train to Pennsylvania and made all of the other passengers laugh.
[Light a candle]
At the end of the story, let the birthday child blow out the candle(s).