U.S. first lady Jill Biden on Monday observed Valentine’s Day at the White House with displays of giant hearts on the North Lawn and valentines from local elementary school children inside the mansion.
The displays include a giant red heart inscribed with a Bible passage, 1 Corinthians 13:13, which says, “Three things will last forever — faith, hope and love — and the greatest of these is love.“
Additionally, hand-painted, wooden artwork in the shapes of the first family’s puppy, Commander, and cat, Willow, adorned either side of the giant heart bearing the Bible verse.
The displays are positioned so they will be seen in the background when White House television correspondents report on the day’s news.
Additionally, valentines created by second-grade classes from a local Washington elementary school are on display in the East Wing of the White House.
The children who created them are students of Alejandro Diasgranados, a teacher at Aiton Elementary School and Washington’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. On Monday, the students, accompanied by their teacher, toured the White House.
Last year, just two weeks after President Joe Biden’s inauguration and in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first lady had large red hearts placed on the North Lawn bearing messages such as “compassion,” “courage,” “healing” and “kindness.”
Valentine’s Day — annually observed February 14 — has always been special to Jill Biden. Her tradition of decorating goes back to Joe Biden’s days as vice president under President Barack Obama when she decorated every window in her husband’s office.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.