You Can’t Go Home Again, But You Can Make a Positive Impact

I grew up in Ash Grove from the 1970s through the 1980s. I managed a newspaper in Willard during the early 1990s. I have lived in Republic since 2003. I can confirm that these towns have changed a lot.

“You Can’t Go Home Again” is a book written by Thomas Wolfe. In it, he tells the story of an author who returns home only to discover that the town residents are mad at him because they see themselves in some of his stories.

Then he writes this famous line: “Back home to time and memory which cannot be recaptured.”

For example, no matter how detailed or pleasant my memories are about the friendly small-town experience of growing up in Ash Grove, the town has changed because people have changed.

Those lazy, hazy days of the 1980s can never be recaptured. I can hop on a 10-speed bike and ride all over town, and it will not matter. I can cruise Main Street at night with my window down, playing music, and it will not be the same. I may even get pulled over by a local officer, but the town and the experience will all differ.

If you have lived here long, you know things have changed.

Sometimes this change is due to external forces. Businesses come and go. It can also relate to changes in our culture or reflect changes in us.

However, the harsh reality is that it can also be because of our choices.

Sometimes towns change because good people turn a blind eye to evil or community challenges.

Sometimes the changes have greed or pride at the root.

Our communities need leaders and volunteers who are positive and focused on what is strong. Our towns need community leaders that are agents of peace. We need people willing to be spark plug in their neighborhood. It means devoting energy to community needs but not doing it in a self-serving way.

It also means leading in a way that brings people together on issues, not creating a wider divide.

Being an agent of change may require you to make personal changes or alter your priorities. It may require that you establish peace in your family first.

Our communities need healthy individuals, stable families, and mission-minded churches and institutions that build and support the community.

Why wait for someone else to take a step forward to lead? Stop pretending that we can recapture the 1980s and start looking forward. While we cannot recapture past glories, we can work together to ensure a strong future for our communities and neighborhoods.