Mrs Cynthia is an employee at the Waffle House who developed a special bond with Holland, author Mary Katherine Backstrom’s daughter.
They mother and daughter are regular customers at the restaurant Mrs Cynthia works in. The waitress has even put to heart what Holland orders every time she visits: Crispy bacon, a waffle, and a side of chocolate chips. Mrs Cynthia never fails to serve little Holland’s order with her trademark smile.
In the past, they have played “Let It Go” on the jukebox whenever they would arrive. Everyone would sing and dance ballet with the little girl who would be so pleased with the crew’s enthusiasm.
But one day, Holland did something unexpected. But come to think of it, as kids, they always do the unexpected.
Something intrigued the little girl about Mrs Cynthia. Holland looked at the waitress with a little more intensity one day. She furled her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask her a question.
“Mrs. Cynthia, I want to have dark skin like you. Why is your skin so dark?”
To the surprise of her mother, her heart began to race. She panicked. But before she could answer, Mrs Cynthia answered:
“Because God made everyone different! Isn’t that wonderful?!”
Her daughter nodded in agreement and added:
“But, Mrs. Cynthia—if I had your skin, we could both dress up like Tiana!” (Tiana is a Disney princess who is also working at a restaurant.)
Mrs Cynthia laughed and said: “You can dress like Tiana any time, honey.”
While this seemed like a heart-stopping moment, it was also a situation we can all learn from. Remember in creation after finishing a creation, God said it was good.
We should all go beyond race and nationality. We are all created in the image and likeness of God and with that, we are all beautiful.