'Thanksgiving Grandma' Lost Husband to COVID, Still Invited Jamal

"I can't even explain how much joy I had, having good food with my favorite company."

You probably remember the story from 2016, because how could you not? A now 63-year-old grandmother in Arizona named Wanda Dench sent a text about Thanksgiving dinner to the wrong number. In the process, she met now 21-year-old Jamal Hinton, and invited him over for dinner.

What's even more amazing is that it turned into a yearly tradition - Jamal has had Thanksgiving dinner with Wanda and her family every year since.

This year, however, things were a bit different, and a little bit more somber - Wanda lost her husband, Lonnie, to COVID-19 back in April. So, like many families this year, there was an empty seat at the dinner table.

Wanda told CNN that she admittedly was not looking forward to hosting dinner this year, but did it anyways. Everybody got tested for COVID-19, including Jamal, and the group celebrated Thanksgiving together last Friday.

"Lonnie was missing this year, and he was a big part of the Thanksgiving story and a big part of our lives, but that's one thing Wanda and I know for sure. Lonnie would have been very angry if we didn't have Thanksgiving together," Hinton said.

This story is one of our favorites every year, and even though this is year is a bit different, it still made us smile.