(WASHINGTON) — First Lady Jill Biden is spreading love — and offering a teaching moment to elementary school students — at the White House on Monday to mark Valentine’s Day.
For the second year in a row, the first lady delivered a valentine to the nation with a colorful heart-filled display on the White House North Lawn.
The decor, this year, features hand-painted wooden artwork in the shapes of the family’s first pets — new cat, Willow, and German Shepherd puppy, Commander.
A massive, wooden heart between the two pets is inscribed with Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.”
The heart-shaped decorations also extend inside the White House to the East Wing, where the first lady has featured the “heart-work” of second-grade students in Washington whose teacher, Alejandro Diasgranados, was awarded teacher of the year for 2021.
According to the first lady’s office, the students were asked to incorporate words reflecting her values including “family,” “kindness,” and “peace” to guide their Valentine’s Day heart designs. Diasgranados and some of the 21 students that created the 42 paper hearts on display in the East Landing are scheduled to visit the White House on Monday to see their work.
Three large, red hearts reading “hope,” “healing” and “love” were also on display in the East Wing.
After spending the weekend at Camp David, President Joe Biden and the first lady returned to the White House earlier Monday morning holding hands as they walked into the residence. Biden did not answer questions but lowered his mask to tell reporters, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
For the Bidens’ first Valentine’s Day in the White House, the first lady decorated the North Lawn with three giant, hand-painted hearts that read “hope,” “unity” and “love.”
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