Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton met through a mistakenly-sent text message but today they are great friends.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 2, 2019. It has since been updated.
Very often our instincts tell us not to mingle with strangers. However, sometimes, they turn out to be one of the biggest blessings in our life. We may have never expected it but the bond we share with them becomes a special and unique one. A grandmother was fortunate enough to create that bond with a stranger whom she accidentally invited for a Thanksgiving dinner.
Wanda Dench, a grandmother from Arizona wanted to invite her family for Thanksgiving in 2016. She texted her grandson inviting him for the special dinner. However, the text was received by a 17-year-old high school student, Jamal Hinton. The text message led to some confusion, however, the two sent selfies to each other clearing it out. Though the message was intended for Dench's actual grandson, Hinton asked her if he could join her and her family for Thanksgiving. The generous grandmother immediately texted back, "Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone.”
Somebody grandma is coming in clutch this year!! Ayee!!! pic.twitter.com/QGrx83nHLl
— Jamal Hinton (@kingjamal08) November 15, 2016
Hinton then went over to the granny's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Remembering that day, Hinton told People, "It was so unexpected, but she was just so sweet about it. It was a reminder that there are still some good people left in this world." The story went viral and the duo decided to meet again after the dinner.
As promised! Here’s our 2019 update 🦃 @mikaela_autumn pic.twitter.com/hHGZUXYzr3
— Jamal Hinton (@kingjamal08) November 29, 2019
They talked about each other's families and Hinton felt at home with her. “She is a very sweet lady. She told me her husband was a veteran and she always invited his friends over for dinner, so she’s used to having a lot of people over. I just got a vibe from her that made me feel at home,” said Hinton to People.
Dench too felt the same meeting the young man. Having been in the army, she said she never distanced from strangers. "I just clicked when I met him and first talked to him,” Dench told NBC Nightly News. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to get to know this guy'. We moved around a lot so I was always going to new places. And so strangers were not strangers to me,” said the kind granny.
Their meeting in 2016 was just the beginning of an amazing bond. Since then, the two have become really close. The now 20-year-old Hinton joins the grandmother for Thanksgiving every year. This year, according to ABC News the two broke bread at Hinton's girlfriend Mikaela's Aunt Tauna's house.
Their meeting has allowed them to believe in the good that exists in the world. “It gives me faith, a lot, in humanity because so many people have been kind,” said Dench.
If this doesn't embody the true spirit of Thanksgiving, then we don't know what else does!
References:
https://people.com/human-interest/wanda-dench-and-jamal-hinton-thanksgiving-fourth-year/
