Twitter has been abuzz with a new fad -- we'll call it the How It Started trend. Users are posting side-by-side progress-style photos, based on how a situation began versus where it's at now. Some are using it to describe their relationships or careers, while others are meme-ing it, which is just as entertaining.
But Jamal Hinton just took it to the best level.
Hinton, you'll remember, went viral in 2016 when he received a wrong-number text from Wanda Dench, who was trying to settle Thanksgiving plans with (she thought) her grandkid. Being the doting grandmother she is, Dench welcomed Hinton into her Arizona home even after realizing her mistake, and the two have spent consecutive holidays together since.
For this past Thanksgiving, Hinton and his girlfriend, Mikaela, hosted the Denches instead.
Last night, Hinton decided to get in on the How It Started fad, and I think we can all agree that he gets to be crowned champ.
Hinton used the tweet to remind his followers of that original text exchange that sparked the Thanksgiving tradition and paired it with a newer photo of himself, Dench, Mikaela and Dench's husband, Lonnie. The photo is particularly special, as Lonnie sadly passed away after battling complications from COVID-19 and a bout of pneumonia in April.
Although this Thanksgiving will be different for Hinton and Dench in more ways than one, we're glad that the two have built such a caring friendship that will, hopefully, remain strong for years to come. Their story is one that, every year, both inspires hope in humanity and reminds us of the importance of friends and family.