Change.

It’s hard to know when it will come, where we’ll be when it arrives or what our role in it will be.

Bernard Hall was standing in the chow line on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu a little more than 67 years ago, when he looked up and saw a Japanese bomber fly so close over his head that he could see the face and goggles on the pilot.

Hall, who was honored Sunday in Lebanon as one of the last survivors of Pearl Harbor in Maine, had no idea, on that day in 1941, that he would witness an attack that would draw the country into World War II and lead to a transformative era for the United States and the rest of the world.

As we once again recognize that “day which will live in infamy,” Dec. 7, social and economic changes seem to be in the air once again. It was a popular theme this fall as politicians were running for office, and practically tripping over one another to tell us which one offered the better brand of change.

Whether those were just slogans used to win an election or promises of real change to come remains to be seen, but there’s no question that the desire among many in the electorate for change was real.

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So, as a new year approaches and with it an opportunity for a fresh start, the editorial staff at Current Publishing has two questions for readers: What type of change are you interested in for 2009? And, who is bringing about change in your community?

After all, most people will not have the chance to participate in change on a national level, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make a contribution. Tim Layne, a Westbrook businessman, is just one example we’ve reported on in recent weeks. When Layne heard the Westbrook Food Pantry might have difficulty raising money this year, he called 50 local businesses and asked them to give $100. A short time later, he was handing a $4,000 check to the director of the food pantry, Jeanne Rielly.

We want to hear more stories like Layne’s so that we can share them with readers, and we’d like to hear what changes readers would like to see, whether they be personal, professional, political, social or otherwise.

Please tell us about changes you would like to see or people who are changing their communities. Keep it short – 100 words or less – and e-mail it to changes@keepmecurrent.com. Include contact information so that we know where to get more information if we need it. In the coming weeks, we’ll compile the submissions and share them with readers.

Brendan Moran, editor


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