Finleyville toddler wants others to ‘spread the love’

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
A Finleyville toddler wants to spread the love during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lorraine McAnulty lives with her grandmother, Roberta, in Finleyville.
Recently during the pandemic, Lorraine found a YouTube video series that would close each segment with someone using the ‘I Love You’ sign, encouraging people to spread the love.
On a recent visit, her mother, Jannell McAnulty, pulled out her cellphone and told her daughter to smile for a picture and got an unusual response.
“I took out my phone and told her to ‘say cheese’ and she threw up this sign and said ‘spread the love,’” Jannell said. “Now, every time you ask her to take a picture, she throws up this sign and says that.”
Though Lorraine is too young for Facebook, after seeing photos from Easter weekend and her daughter’s new obsession with the hand symbol, Jannell took to social media in hopes of garnering photos of others using her daughter’s favorite gesture.
“She won’t say cheese or take a picture without throwing up this symbol,” Jannell said. “She is totally obsessed and it made me feel really good that even though she might not know exactly what it means, she wants to share love.”
Jannell visits Lorraine each week and thought it would be fun to start a group to collect photos to share with her daughter.
Since starting the group Monday, more than 140 residents have joined, posting their own “Share the Love” photos.
“She does not know much about social media or even what’s happening right now,” Jannell said. “But, she will be so excited to see all of these pictures.”
Jannell said she hopes the group will not only help to make Lorraine smile, but will help bring the community together.
“Everyone is on social media right now, just to pass the time,” she said. “I hope this gives people a reason to post something positive.
“I just want to be able to show her that a lot of people care about her,” Jannell said. “She is not in school yet, but she has not been able to go out and do the things she is used to. So, I thought it would be nice to show her that other people are thinking about her.”
After creating the group, her mom never expected so many to participate.
“At first it was our friends and family and then we opened it publicly because so many people started inviting their friends and family,” she said. “Now there are people we don’t even know posting, which is really cool.
“This was just something I started for my daughter to show her how good the world can be, it’s awesome to see so many people getting involved. I can’t wait to show her.”
To join the group and post your own “Share the Love” picture, go to the Share the Love Facebook page.
Lorraine is the daughter of Jannell McAnulty of Finleyville and AJ Bird of Washington.
Her grandparents are Roberta McAnulty and fiancé James Frederick of Finleyville; Gary McAnulty of Finleyville; and Jodi Crumrine of Washington.