Not the same

 – By

I am told all the time that Miller is not the same as it was 20, 30, 40 years ago. We don’t have the same number of kids in school, we don’t have the same businesses, and we certainly don’t have the same leaders. I am not from Miller so I don’t know what it was like 30 years ago and history is important but I don’t want it to stay the same… and neither should you. History plays a large role in establishing the purpose and ultimately the pride we feel towards our hometown. The truth is that history is not static; it is dynamic. 

The same thing is not good for our community or any community.  If a community isn’t changing, its failing. Things need to change because people change and the needs of our community change. The key to survival is to not live in the past.

I have been told that you know you are getting older when everyone else looks younger and younger. I believe that you can also tell the age of people by how they talk about their community. How many times have you heard this, “Miller High School is not the same as when I was in high school!” Or this one, “When I was in high school, we had 200 kids in band.” Or my favorite, “When I was younger, we use to have so much to do in Miller.”

The truth is… it’s not the same. Miller will never be the same as it was 20, 30, 40 years ago. We have lost people, businesses, and laws have changed. Not as many families have five, six or seven kids anymore.  But the good news? Miller is thriving. We might not be growing in numbers, but we are sustaining. We have people who want to get involved. We have people who want to see Main Street full. We have businesses looking to come to our area. We have homes selling. We have people wanting to build new homes. We have people who care about non profits and quality of life. We have families that want to stay in Miller and raise their family and hope that their kids come back some day. We have a Community Center that we didn’t have ten years ago that hosts hundreds of events that keeps people in town. We have a city park that hosts more and more campers every year. We have a swimming pool that you don’t have to have a buddy system for at pool breaks because you can actually see to the bottom. We have community leaders who are investing in our infrastructure to make sure our pipes don’t freeze, or have sewer in our basement. We have seen an increase in local support with sales tax numbers increasing.

I could go on and on about some of the positive changes our community has seen over the years.  I challenge everyone to turn the conversation around and make it more positive when talking about the place that we call home. What if we started hearing these phrases, “Miller isn’t the same as 30 years and I love the direction we are heading!” Or, “I am so proud to call Miller home.” Or my favorite, “Miller comes together for those in need and I love that about my community.” I also challenge you that if you don’t like the decisions that are being made, step up and be a leader. Run for city council, school board, county commission, or get more involved in nonprofits.

I can’t even imagine the effect it would have on our community if we all tried a little harder to be more positive about the place we love and more positive people got involved. We are making history in our very own community every day. History is the change we make to our community to make it better. In the end, these changes serve a purpose for the community’s very survival.

Miller is not the same and that’s ok… it’s a good thing.


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