Yesterday, I noticed that my next-door neighbor had taped several large, colorful hearts on their front window. My daughter, Rylan, was delighted to see them.

“I know! We make hearts too!”

Thrilled to have an activity to keep her occupied, I was instantly on board. “Let’s do it!”

Within minutes our living room was covered with construction paper, markers, crayons, scissors, and glue sticks. We worked together to create several colorful hearts.

Rylan helped me tape them to the window and we went outside to admire our handy work.

We were quite pleased, and immediately decided to cover Ry’s bedroom window with hearts too!

Today when I got home I was pleasantly surprised to see another neighbor had added hearts to their window. And when I went on Facebook this evening, I saw that a few of my friends had posted photos of their windows covered with beautiful hearts.

Okay, hold on…

This is either a bizarre coincidence, or there’s something going on here.

Some quick Googlejitzu revealed that the #AWorldOfHearts movement was quickly spreading around the world.

Photo by Kim Lysaker‎ via the #AWorldOfHearts group

Humble Beginnings

According to a local news outlet, the Gill family of Bismark, North Dakota had decided on day 2 of COVID-19 social distancing to tape some colored hearts to their front window. They wanted to spread love and remind their neighbors that although we are physically separate, we are all in this together.

It was a wonderful idea.

Their neighbors thought so too, and soon began taping hearts to their windows. The Gill’s decided to create a Facebook group to share the love digitally. They added a few friends and posted some photos of the hearts. Within 2 days there were over 100,000 people following from around the world.

This movement is about spreading positivity. The hearts are a message of gratitude to the essential workers that are keeping society moving. They’re a message of hope for all those that are trapped in the fear and uncertainty of Coronavirus. They’re a message of love for all fellow humans.

Join The Movement

You can play too! All you need is construction paper. Or aluminum foil. Or felt. Or paint. Or really anything that you can form into the shape of a heart. Maybe you want to create an intricate mosaic like this one.

Photo by Diane Bilbrey Basgall‎ via the #AWorldOfHearts group

Or maybe you want to add a little message.

Photo by Kate Salisbury-Smith via the #AWorldOfHearts group

Why not get creative?!

Photo by Stephanie Carpenter‎ via the #AWorldOfHearts group

The point is to have fun and spread some positivity- whatever that means to you.

So, give it a shot! Use whatever materials you have, create something beautiful, and share it with the group #AWorldOfHearts. We can’t wait to see what you create!

We’re All In This Together

This story is adorably heartwarming. It’s also an important reminder.

We are each part of the global human family. We may get angry at politicians and point fingers. We may get on each other’s nerves when we’re stuck at home day after day. We may feel anxious, hopeless, and alone.

But then we see a few colorful hearts taped to our neighbor’s window. And we remember that we are never, ever alone. We matter. We are loved.

We are all in this together.

Stay Strong Human Family-We Got This!

This article was originally published by Ben clementz on medium.