Between an accident claiming the lives of two young, vibrant teenagers in Cumberland, a bank robbery at Citizens Bank and Trust and the discovery of suspected improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, at Fuqua School — the Heart of Virginia had a rough day last Wednesday.

There’s no doubt that there seemed to be more bad than good in our community last Wednesday.

In reality, there is and always will be more good than bad in the world and in this community in every minute, every hour and every day. And there are several reasons why.

First, light always defeats darkness, meaning good always defeats bad. In many ways, the death of the two young women in Cumberland is bringing the community together through organized benefits, memorial observances, fundraisers and, most importantly, prayer for the families and others affected.

As for the bank robbery in town — if there is any law enforcement agency in the commonwealth of Virginia that could track down the suspects it’s the Farmville Police Department. They’ve released surveillance and a photo of the vehicle that could have been involved. The department’s trained officers and investigators are working around the clock to catch the person who held the bank up.

No one was injured or hurt during the robbery last Wednesday. The same goes for the incident at Fuqua School — no injuries were reported. The school reopened the next day without incident.

The response by students, staff, faculty and administration was commendable and admirable, according to Fuqua Head of School John Melton.

A community cannot and should not be judged by the crimes or incidents reported in its jurisdiction, and many times, as in these three situations, much good can come out of the bad.

As for the positive, uplifting traits of this community, one need not look further than the pages of this newspaper to see of achievements in our community. And that’s why the Heart of Virginia beats stronger than ever.

JORDAN MILES is managing editor of The Farmville Herald. His email address is Jordan.Miles@FarmvilleHerald.com.