AN accidental text invitation for a Thanksgiving dinner four years ago turned into unlikely family tradition, but this year it looks a bit different.

Wanda Dench didn’t know that her grandson changed his phone number at the time and accidentally texted Jamal Hinton about Thanksgiving plans in 2016, according to The New York Times. Every year since then, Hinton and the Dench family have shared a meal together on or around Thanksgiving.

But this year, in April, Dench lost her husband Lonnie to COVID-19, as reported by People magazine.

Hinton, 21, and Dench, 63, of Mesa, Arizona, held a small dinner Thursday with a portrait of Dench’s husband and a burning candle as they talked about him, their friendship, and what they’re thankful for.

“It’s going to be different, my first Thanksgiving without him,” Dench told The New York Times. “My husband was always right behind me, telling me how proud he was of Hinton and me for what we’ve done.”

(SD-Agencies)