Woman accidentally invites a stranger to Thanksgiving dinner: "now it's a tradition and it's our 7th year together"

by Mark Bennett

December 10, 2022

Woman accidentally invites a stranger to Thanksgiving dinner: "now it's a tradition and it's our 7th year together"
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Most of us have received a call or a message from a stranger. In most cases, the situation is resolved quickly, by recognising a wrong number was dialled, for example.

In the case of the story we want to tell you about, however, an incorrectly addressed message led to the involved parties continuing to stay in contact with each other seven years after meeting each other by mistake. 

via People

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench - a 17-year-old teenager and a "grandmother" respectivily - met by chance in 2016. One day, Jamal received a text message on his phone, but the contents surprised him. The text was an invitation to dinner for Thanksgiving - an important holiday in the United States - and asked him to show up on November 24th at 3 pm.

Not expecting an invitation, Jamal asked who the sender was and got this reply: "Your grandmother". At this point, Jamal realized that someone had made a mistake, as his grandmother's phone number was completely different. To clear up the matter, Jamal sent a photo of himself to the mysterious sender, and asking, jokingly, if the invitation still stood.

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Wanda, the sender of the invitation, didn't hesitate for a moment and said yes. And now, many years later, the two continue their tradition of getting together every Thanksgiving.

Their story quickly went viral on the web and Jamal and Wanda love to post photos of themselves together to "reassure" those who follow them that their quaint tradition endures. In fact, many user now refer to the two as being grandmother and grandson.

"Getting to meet Jamal was a gift and a blessing," Wanda said. She continued: "Beforehand, I believed that friendship between people with a significant age differences couldn't last, but now I realize I was wrong and that anything is possible. He has changed my life".

And we all hope that Jamal and Wanda will continue to spend many more years together, and not just on Thanksgiving.

Have you ever met someone who became dear to you later by mistake?

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