Grandma and stranger to spend sixth Thanksgiving together after accidental text

Back then, Arizona grandmother Wanda Dench accidentally sent a text to who she thought was her grandson, however, it turns out that she had sent it to a teenager, Jamal Hinton, by mistake.

Somebody grandma is coming in clutch this year!! Ayee!!! pic.twitter.com/QGrx83nHLl

— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 15, 2016

Nevertheless, rather than backtrack out of embarrassment or awkwardness, she did what any true grandma would do and offered him a seat around the table of her family home. They’ve been friends ever since.

Unsurprisingly, it turned into quite the new story over in America, being covered by multiple outlets over the years as they continued to share a Thanksgiving plate with each other’s families.

Jamal and his girlfriend Mikaela have a YouTube channel and have chronicled multiple holiday visits with the Dench family over the past few years.

Here is their vlog from 2018:

After a post from Jamal’s Twitter account, the pair confirmed they will once again be sharing the table with each other.

This is the sixth year in a row that the pair have opened up their home to each other. You absolutely love to see it.

We are all set for year 6! 🦃 pic.twitter.com/wEQioizWGd

— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 14, 2021

While this is an undeniably heartwarming story of kindness and generosity, not to mention a group of unlikely friends brought together by nothing more than chance, this year will be slightly different.

Sadly, Wanda’s husband Lonnie died after suffering from health complications following a Covid infection back in April of 2020. The pair addressed his passing in a video this time last year,

That being said, the video they recorded for Thanksgiving 2019 – the last time they spent the holiday with both Wanda and her husband – is just lovely from start to finish, so have a watch.

A great reminder to cherish your loved ones this holiday season.