Newtown is Mom unbuckling you from your car seat, feet kicking back and forth with excitement. Hopping out of the car, you run ahead of Mom into the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium, where your pink ballet slippers slide onto the freshly waxed floor. You throw your dance bag in a folding chair and run to join your friends in the center of the gym. After waving your tiny fingers hello to Mrs. Lathrop and Miss Diane, you sit down in the circle around the rooster and begin to point and flex your feet, Miss Tamra and Miss Colby leading the way. Disney music echoes against the high ceilings as you all practice your chasses and pique turns across the floor, practicing for the best show on Earth: The Stardust Revue. Giggles accompany the music like backup vocals throughout the entire dance class. The little girls may not know it yet, but their lifelong friends and family are being made with every bourrée turn.
Newtown is a picnic with friends in the spring along the pond in Ram Pasture, where the willow trees gently sway back and forth in the wind and the geese float on top of the sky, clouds and shades of blue rippling in the water. Laughs are carried among the breeze and memories are etched into the Earth beneath the picnic blanket.
It's the tree lighting in winter, where the town gathers to give love and give light. Newtown's finest singers and dancers grace the rickety wooden trailer to spread fun throughout the chilly night air. Hot chocolate is passed around to warm our hands and our hearts. Against the black night sky backdrop, a countdown can be heard echoing throughout the pasture: "3, 2, 1!" and suddenly, thousands of lights twinkle among the stars, lighting up the smiles that surround the beloved evergreen.
Newtown is the Pootatuck Duck Race, an oddity for outsiders, but a cherished event by our community. Walking through the center of Sandy Hook, you can't go more than two minutes without seeing someone you know. Smiling faces appear around every corner, and suddenly you feel a wave of warmth overcome your soul--and this time, it isn't the simmering sun of May. Leaning back on your elbows, the green grass tickles your forearms as you sit back and watch an array of singers and dancers (and the occasional martial artists) perform on the cement stage in front of you, pillars blending into the blue sky above.
Suddenly, you hear a splash and thousands of tiny yellow rubber ducks are dumped into the Pootatuck River, racing among the rapids and crashing into rocks. You want your duck to win, but you know you would be happy if any of Newtown's wonderful people won instead.
Newtown is food. Like mostly food. It's waking up early on a Sunday morning to grab a bagel from Eunice, who bakes her bagels with love and sells them with a "Hi honey, how are you?" and a smile. You will always leave Eunice's feeling extra special and loved.
Honestly, is she not the cutest?
It's a drive down to the Ferris Acres Creamery, where the best ice cream you will probably ever have is set against a backdrop of rural farm land, cows roaming the tall green grass, the white silo stretching towards the horizon. Children run around the grass with ice cream mustaches, giggles escaping their tiny lips. The line wraps around the small red shop, but the hour wait is 100% worth it.
It's late night diner runs with your best friends at the Blue Colony, where you squeeze into a booth and order french toast or milkshakes or fries...or all three. The night, of course, wouldn't be complete without 1) a compliment from a waitress or 2) a sassy remark from a waitress (especially if you spill your milkshake...been there, done that).
Newtown is waking up early to claim a spot along Main Street for the annual Labor Day parade. Sitting in a folding chair, mini versions of our stars and stripes can be found waving in the hands of tiny tots. Your wrist eventually grows tired after waving to your fellow parade goers and to the men, women, and children in the parade (I mean, you do know almost everyone in the parade and on the sides of the streets). And by the end of the day, your cheeks hurt from smiling so much. But don't worry--an Italian ice from one of the local vendors on the street will ease the pain.
Newtown is walking up the steps of the Edmond Town Hall to see the latest movie. Walking through the big double doors, you buy popcorn from the kid in your calculus class and a soda from the girl you pass in the hallway every morning. Moving to the ticket booth, you hand Tom $2.00 and he gives you a ticket, a smile, and an "Enjoy the show!" in return. Walking into the theater, you sit down in a plush red chair, which you have done dozens of times before, and wait for the lights to go out. In front of you are gold plaques on the back of each seat, signifying the generosity of the townspeople and their donations to the theater. The colorful orb in the ceiling begins to fade and soon, you find yourself immersed in the film.
Newtown is Sunday morning mass with Monsignor Weiss (formerly known and still loved as Father Bob) at the beautiful St. Rose of Lima church. You pack into a pew with your family, friends, neighbors, and classmates, and the sense of community and love is almost overwhelming. You sing in harmony with each other to the selected hymns, and each prayer said in unison beautifully echoes throughout the church, a soft humming that fills the ears of its patrons. When the time comes, we all share praise, peace, kindness, and love. Of course, no mass is complete without many laughs shared during Monsignor Weiss's homily.
But most importantly, Newtown is kindness and Newtown is community. Be Kind necklaces are adorned by most of the kids in town, a gentle reminder to be kind to everyone you meet. The sense of community that emits from each and every citizen of Newtown is truly inspiring, and I am touched by each act of kindness that I am met by on an average day spent in my favorite place.
The world seems to have developed its own view of Newtown since December 14, 2012. But Newtown is my first home and my forever home, and I hope this allows the rest of the world to understand why Newtown is so incredible: even in times of tragedy, the town came together as one. While Newtown is made up of many more hidden gems than the ones I talked about, I wanted to showcase the sense of community that defines this little town. Not only is Newtown an inspiration, but its people are role models for the rest of humanity. The 26 angels are in our hearts forever, and this is shown through the everyday love and kindness of Newtown's people. So thank you, Newtown, for teaching me what it truly means to love and be kind.
