The Good Place, the NBC series that ran from 2016 to 2019, is about a woman who finds herself in the afterlife in a “heavenly” community intended for those who led good lives on earth. Though her placement there is accidental, she strives to belong. No one, after all, wants to be in The Bad Place.

It might feel, just now, that The Bad Place rules: lost jobs, lost school days, food insecurity, and always the anxiety stirred up by the uncertainty of the coronavirus.

But if you are in Newtown, you are in The Good Place, and it is no accident that you are here. This is your home and this is a town that knows how to dig in and rebuild lives from the darkest of times. It is our heaven on earth, much of the time, because of the angels that populate this community. The less fortunate in Newtown are watched over and tended by those who shepherd us, day to day.

They are religious leaders, teachers, town officials, and emergency responders. They are businessmen and women, they are hourly workers, therapists, and health providers. They are ordinary — or rather, extraordinary — people who see a need and respond with a solution. They are the cheerleaders of society who can see the silver lining and lift spirits.

In this time of coronavirus, we have dozens of people stitching face masks for friends, families, and emergency workers. A teacher uses 3D printing to make face shields and donates them to our local responders. Food is made and delivered to those who might otherwise miss a meal, or to hospitals where nurses and doctors barely have time to take a break, let alone think about meals. Our food pantry is staffed by volunteers who make sure that those in need are not left without. A neighborhood dances together-apart. Neighborly parades of cars bring delight to young and old who might otherwise mark this year’s birthday as a bust.

Our Arts Commission offers a daily Facebook post to remind us that creativity does not stop when times seem dismal. Hundreds of families share activities via social media to fill the hours when young people grow weary of distance learning and screen time.

Lions Care reaches out to the lonely with friendly phone calls, lifting up those who simply long for another voice. FUN Connections, similarly, has partnered special needs people with high school students happy to reach out to stay connected.

And this Saturday evening, The Chamber of Commerce, along with the Town of Newtown and The Newtown Community Center, is sponsoring Horns For Hope – a cacophony of church bells, sirens, and households beginning at 7 pm. It all reminds us that we are in this together, and that we are in The Good Place.

We are thankful for those who show the way as we strive to be our best, working together with respect for others. In this Good Place we see the spark of positivity is lighting the path.