Two years ago, we had no idea how much the world and our lives would change. The pandemic was just a concept in March 2020, one many of us thought would be short lived. We retreated to our homes, washed our hands, donned our masks and waited for what we believed would be a quick, yet heartbreaking, catastrophe to subside.

But as the days, weeks and months dragged on, the miraculous happened -- people showed up for themselves and others.

From adopting pets to sewing masks for strangers, we dug deep into our well of humanity to reshape what community means and looks like. And in doing so, we discovered some of The Best in Us.

Berlin churchgoers attend a Good Friday service in April 2021. Using Covid-19 mitigation measures allowed places of worship to welcome back members.
Berlin churchgoers attend a Good Friday service in April 2021. Using Covid-19 mitigation measures allowed places of worship to welcome back members.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
From left, Emma Banker, Jessi McIrvin and Valerie Sanchez record vocals in pop-up tents during a choir class at their Washington high school in February 2021. Schools and instructors devised novel ways of continuing their lessons while keeping students safe throughout the pandemic.
From left, Emma Banker, Jessi McIrvin and Valerie Sanchez record vocals in pop-up tents during a choir class at their Washington high school in February 2021. Schools and instructors devised novel ways of continuing their lessons while keeping students safe throughout the pandemic.
David Ryder/Getty Images
Women cut and sew cotton fabrics into pieces used to manufacture reusable face masks in Johannesburg's Alexandra township in April 2020. Worldwide, artisans and textile factories changed their practices to produce reusable face masks to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
Women cut and sew cotton fabrics into pieces used to manufacture reusable face masks in Johannesburg's Alexandra township in April 2020. Worldwide, artisans and textile factories changed their practices to produce reusable face masks to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
Michele Spatari/AFP/Getty Images
Mase, a pit bull, plays in the grass with his new human brother Delonte Hillery in a park in Escondido, California in April 2020. Shelters across the US emptied out thanks to Covid-19, as people confined to their homes sought companionship from furry friends.
Mase, a pit bull, plays in the grass with his new human brother Delonte Hillery in a park in Escondido, California in April 2020. Shelters across the US emptied out thanks to Covid-19, as people confined to their homes sought companionship from furry friends.
Ariana Drehsler/AFP/Getty Images
People at a residential building in Mumbai, India, clap to show their appreciation for health care workers in March 2020. These regular rounds of applause occurred worldwide to honor those on the frontlines of the pandemic.
People at a residential building in Mumbai, India, clap to show their appreciation for health care workers in March 2020. These regular rounds of applause occurred worldwide to honor those on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Rafiq Maqbool/AP
Lori Spencer visits her mother, 81-year-old Judie Shape, at the Life Care Center, a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, in March 2020. The facility became an early epicenter of the pandemic in the US, and Shape was among those who tested positive. She has since recovered.
Lori Spencer visits her mother, 81-year-old Judie Shape, at the Life Care Center, a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, in March 2020. The facility became an early epicenter of the pandemic in the US, and Shape was among those who tested positive. She has since recovered.
Jason Redmond/Reuters
Students and their teacher wear hats to help them practice social distancing at a school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in July 2020. Many children were anxious to return to classes after so many months away, even if they had to observe new Covid-19 mitigation measures.
Students and their teacher wear hats to help them practice social distancing at a school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in July 2020. Many children were anxious to return to classes after so many months away, even if they had to observe new Covid-19 mitigation measures.
Wichai Taprieu/AP
Ghana's Nadia Eke carries the team's flag during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July 2021. The Tokyo Olympics arrived a year later than expected, and very few fans could attend because of the ongoing pandemic.
Ghana's Nadia Eke carries the team's flag during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July 2021. The Tokyo Olympics arrived a year later than expected, and very few fans could attend because of the ongoing pandemic.
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Amsterdam restaurant patrons practice social distancing in June 2020 as they eat inside "quarantine greenhouses." Eateries around the world built new structures or adjusted their business to keep customers fed during the pandemic.
Amsterdam restaurant patrons practice social distancing in June 2020 as they eat inside "quarantine greenhouses." Eateries around the world built new structures or adjusted their business to keep customers fed during the pandemic.
Peter Dejong/AP
Dana Baer and her son Jacob wish Avery Slutsky a happy sixth birthday from their car in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, in March 2020. Americans with pandemic birthdays would often hold drive-by celebrations instead of formal parties to keep friends safe without sacrificing fun.
Dana Baer and her son Jacob wish Avery Slutsky a happy sixth birthday from their car in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, in March 2020. Americans with pandemic birthdays would often hold drive-by celebrations instead of formal parties to keep friends safe without sacrificing fun.
Emily Elconin/Reuters
Bostonians help each other shovel snow in December 2020. Winter Storm Gail dumped snow, rain and sleet up and down the East Coast, but the aftermath was manageable with the aid of a kind neighbor.
Bostonians help each other shovel snow in December 2020. Winter Storm Gail dumped snow, rain and sleet up and down the East Coast, but the aftermath was manageable with the aid of a kind neighbor.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
San Antonians wait in their cars for a local food bank to begin distributing food in April 2020. With millions of Americans unable to work during the pandemic, community organizations worked to provide food and other necessities to families unmoored by Covid-19.
San Antonians wait in their cars for a local food bank to begin distributing food in April 2020. With millions of Americans unable to work during the pandemic, community organizations worked to provide food and other necessities to families unmoored by Covid-19.
William Luther/The San Antonio Express-News/AP
A Tokyo university holds a virtual graduation ceremony using robots in March 2020, a unique way to maintain the pomp and ritual for a rite so many students look forward to.
A Tokyo university holds a virtual graduation ceremony using robots in March 2020, a unique way to maintain the pomp and ritual for a rite so many students look forward to.
BBT University/Cover Images/Reuters
Medical workers in Athens, Greece, watch as the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation orchestra performs in the yard of the Attikon University Hospital in April 2020.
Medical workers in Athens, Greece, watch as the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation orchestra performs in the yard of the Attikon University Hospital in April 2020.
Petros Giannakouris/AP
Yoshia Uomoto, 98, reacts as her son Mark Uomoto and niece Gail Yamada surprise her with their first in-person visit in a year after indoor visitation restrictions due to Covid-19 were lifted at an assisted living facility in Seattle in March 2021. Residents, who had been fully vaccinated, could visit with family for an hour at a time.<br />
Yoshia Uomoto, 98, reacts as her son Mark Uomoto and niece Gail Yamada surprise her with their first in-person visit in a year after indoor visitation restrictions due to Covid-19 were lifted at an assisted living facility in Seattle in March 2021. Residents, who had been fully vaccinated, could visit with family for an hour at a time.
Lindsey Wasson/Reuters
Buzzy audiences exit the Richard Rogers Theater at the end of the first return performance of "Hamilton" in September 2021. Broadway shows began to re-open to live audiences after being closed for more than a year due to Covid-19.
Buzzy audiences exit the Richard Rogers Theater at the end of the first return performance of "Hamilton" in September 2021. Broadway shows began to re-open to live audiences after being closed for more than a year due to Covid-19.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Opera singer Stephane Senechal sings for his neighbors from his apartment window in Paris in March 2020. It was the 10th day of a strict lockdown in France, and residents got creative to keep each other entertained.
Opera singer Stephane Senechal sings for his neighbors from his apartment window in Paris in March 2020. It was the 10th day of a strict lockdown in France, and residents got creative to keep each other entertained.
Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images
People visit New York's Domino Park in May 2020. The painted circles, spaced 6 feet apart, are to encourage physical distancing.
People visit New York's Domino Park in May 2020. The painted circles, spaced 6 feet apart, are to encourage physical distancing.
Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
People dance in a park in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province, on January 23, 2021, one year after the city went into lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.
People dance in a park in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province, on January 23, 2021, one year after the city went into lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
Members of the Navajo community place cut wood used for cooking and heating into a truck on a reservation in December 2021 in Arizona. The wood, thinned from unhealthy forests in the area, was accessed through a partnership with the National Forest Foundation and their 'Wood for Life' initiative.
Members of the Navajo community place cut wood used for cooking and heating into a truck on a reservation in December 2021 in Arizona. The wood, thinned from unhealthy forests in the area, was accessed through a partnership with the National Forest Foundation and their 'Wood for Life' initiative.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Movie lovers watch a video projection in Avignon, France, in July 2020. After the Avignon Theatre Festival was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival's organization projected the plays that informed its history.
Movie lovers watch a video projection in Avignon, France, in July 2020. After the Avignon Theatre Festival was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival's organization projected the plays that informed its history.
Clement Mahoudeau/AFP/Getty Images
Women participate in a <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fvideos%2Fus%2F2022%2F02%2F03%2Fmoms-scream-covid-orig-me.cnn" target="_blank">primal scream</a> event held on a high school football field in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in January 2022. The event was for mothers of young children who were struggling to contend with all the turmoil the pandemic had thrown at them.<br />
Women participate in a primal scream event held on a high school football field in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in January 2022. The event was for mothers of young children who were struggling to contend with all the turmoil the pandemic had thrown at them.
Jim Davis/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
Jairo Cruz, a dancer and member of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school, participates in a community rehearsal at the school's headquarters in Ramos, Brazil, in November 2021. Expectations are high for Rio de Janeiro's samba schools for Carnival 2022 after the 2021 parade was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Jairo Cruz, a dancer and member of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense samba school, participates in a community rehearsal at the school's headquarters in Ramos, Brazil, in November 2021. Expectations are high for Rio de Janeiro's samba schools for Carnival 2022 after the 2021 parade was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Fernando Souza/picture alliance/Getty Images
People carry rainbow flags while they march in the Miami Beach Pride Parade along Ocean Drive in September 2021. The annual Florida event was canceled in 2020 and postponed for months last year due to Covid-19.
People carry rainbow flags while they march in the Miami Beach Pride Parade along Ocean Drive in September 2021. The annual Florida event was canceled in 2020 and postponed for months last year due to Covid-19.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
People in Barcelona, Spain, attend a concert for the rock group Love of Lesbian in March 2021. Fans had to take a same-day Covid-19 test before attending the show, which was permitted by Spanish health authorities.
People in Barcelona, Spain, attend a concert for the rock group Love of Lesbian in March 2021. Fans had to take a same-day Covid-19 test before attending the show, which was permitted by Spanish health authorities.
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Family members look on as Jack Frilingos, 12, receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Decatur, Georgia, in May 2021. One day earlier, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine for the 12-15 age group.
Family members look on as Jack Frilingos, 12, receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Decatur, Georgia, in May 2021. One day earlier, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine for the 12-15 age group.
Chris Aluka Berry/Reuters
People pray together during a Juneteenth event at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park in 2020. Protests against racial injustice and the killings of Black men and women motivated Americans to re-evaluate systemic racism and how they can better dismantle it.
People pray together during a Juneteenth event at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park in 2020. Protests against racial injustice and the killings of Black men and women motivated Americans to re-evaluate systemic racism and how they can better dismantle it.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
People sit at a giant table — more than 1,690 feet long — on the Charles Bridge in Prague in June 2020. To celebrate the end of the country's lockdown, cafe owner Ondrej Kobza organized the dinner party. "We want to celebrate the end of the coronavirus crisis with people meeting up and showing they're no longer afraid to meet others. That they aren't afraid to accept a bite of a sandwich from someone," Kobza told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
People sit at a giant table — more than 1,690 feet long — on the Charles Bridge in Prague in June 2020. To celebrate the end of the country's lockdown, cafe owner Ondrej Kobza organized the dinner party. "We want to celebrate the end of the coronavirus crisis with people meeting up and showing they're no longer afraid to meet others. That they aren't afraid to accept a bite of a sandwich from someone," Kobza told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Martin Divisek/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock