Imagine walking into a young child’s Birthday Party where the children are quietly playing on the floor beside one another (there are about half as many friends invited as the age the birthday child is turning, so if s/he is turning 5 there are 2 or 3 friends invited…) The mood is festive yet calm, happy yet subdued. You notice a soft, peachy tone to the room which is so warming and welcoming and peaceful. Sitting in a rocking chair sewing or knitting a doll’s quilt is the birthday child’s mum, humming softly as she works, near the group of youngsters, but not actually with them. (contrast this scene with the usual mayhem associated with most small children’s ‘parties’…) Just then, the mum strikes a soft note on a little kinderharp or xylophone, and although each child is thoroughly immersed in his play, s/he looks up at the sound of the tone. The children notice the mum smiling and how she slowly and with subtle fanfare in her gesture, lights a small beeswax candle in a wooden holder the shape of an Angel. This captures the attention and imagination of everyone in the room. She says:

BE QUIET YOUR FACES, BE STILL EVERYONE

FIX DEEPLY ON ME YOUR EYES

AND OUT OF MY MIND A STORY WILL COME

THAT IS OLD, AND LOVELY AND WISE

She turns to her side where the small table rests the Angel candle whose glow adds even more charm and warmth to the atmosphere, and she gently lifts a soft lavender colored silk revealing a handmade paper book that is navy and covered with silver stars. The mum waits until the room is completely silent and all the little ones have inched closer to her abandoning their sacred play to hear the story…
It is called the BIRTHDAY STORY and I have personally told it to both my children every birthday at their celebrations since they were born:

Once upon a time there was a little child named____________ who was still with the angles 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 blue 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 pretty birds flying in the air and colourful fish swimming in the water, and little children climbing trees. It was all so beautiful!So he said to Big Angel, Please, may I go down to earth now? But Big 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. He worked in the house of the Sun, and the Moon and the Stars, cleaning and shining everything. Then one day again he saw a glimpse of the earth through the clouds again. He saw grown-ups doing their work. He saw bakers and teachers and artists 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 Big Angel now, May I go to her? Big Angel smiled and said ‘Yes, it is your time. You may go and share your joy and purpose with all the world’ and Big Angel said ‘Give me your wings and I will hold them for you until you return”.That night the child went to sleep into dreamland and while nine 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 fathers waiting arms. They looked in awe at this new life and said We shall call him/her ____________.” This lovely story has been passed down in one form or another from the Waldorf School, presumably based on the teachings and insights of its founder, Rudolph Steiner, who had brilliant insights in regards to agriculture, medicine, and child development. You can feel the reverence and sacred mood of this story and how it ignites the inner workings of a small child, planting the seeds of purpose.

Note: I have created an illustrated version of this story called YOUR BIRTHDAY STORY which is customized and is a lovely keepsake- see my DVD Raising Children Raises Us to order your copy.

At the end of the story, the starry book is replaced under the blue silk, the candle is blown out, perhaps by the birthday child, and it is time to enjoy the birthday meal. This is simple, wholesome nourishing food, initiated by a lovely and simple grace:

BLESSINGS ON YOUR ANGEL WHO LED YOU TO EARTH,

BLESSINGS ON YOUR MOTHER WHO GAVE YOU YOUR BIRTH

Followed by a simple, homemade birthday cake.

After the meal, the children say goodbye, and the birthday boy is presented with little gifts- a seedling, a crystal, bell, a little candle, shell or feather…a gift of Nature.

When the children get a little older, say 6 or 7, a puppet show may be performed in place of the birthday reading. I have done these also, and even to our neighbours and friends who may be slightly jaded by TV and movies etc, everyone LOVES the puppet shows!

It may sound like a lot of work…really it is more about your intention to set a beautiful mood, and to honour the occasion in an age-appropriate way. From age 1-7, less really is more!

SHANNON LEONE is a Mom, Artist, Writer and PROFESSIONAL WELLNESS COACH with 20 years experience in Natural Health whose background includes: Assistant Fitness Director of the Parkview Club, Licensed Aestitician and Colon Hydro Therapist, Raw Gourmet Foodie, Director of THE LITTLE FRIENDS FOUNDATION, Creator of THE FRIENDSHIP FLAG GAME, and Filmmaker RAISING CHILDREN RAISES US- a DVD on Conscious Parenting. Shannon has appeared on TV’s Woman to Woman, Daytime, Body Mind Spirit, International Radio and many Magazines.
For personal or group Coaching and Seminars: 1-866-LEONE-11; sjkleone@yahoo.com.

Tags: conscious parenting, Homeschooling, raw foods, Shannon Leone, unschooing, waldorf school

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 8:40 pm by Lisa and is filed under Raw Food Recipes, Shannon's Thoughts, Tips for Moms. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.