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I am thrilled to see that ELizabeth and Anthony have gotten back together. I'm just a bit younger than Liz myself, and I've followed the stories about her for years with great interest. Yet no matter what happened, I always felt a bit sad when Elizabeth kept almost ending up with a string of other guys, all of whom seemed to be lacking something in my mind. I don't think there is anything immature or childish about her falling back in love with her first love - people do that all the time. How many people end up marrying their high school sweetheart after the death of or divorce from their first spouse? I'm glad to see her finally seem settled and content with herself and her romantic future.

Valerie, Michigan

Hello Hello-
I have been following FBOFW for many many years now and often would buy the Saturday paper JUST to follow the strip-until my sister told me a few years back about it being online. Don't know why I didn't think of that!-

About Anthony and Liz--they BELONG together!! They always have!

That doesn't mean it will be easy, it doesn't mean it won't have it's problems and rocks on their winding path- it means they are willing to try, to commit to it, to give what it takes- love, laughter, comprimises, sacrafices, commitment, passion, and a deep wanting to have it work.

Try as they might to have other people in their lives, they both couldn't just be themselves like they can with each other.

In saying that, I must say that ulitimately it's a comic strip world. There's no 'message' being sent out to the world by the two patterson kids finding love with their childhood sweethearts, or the fact that Liz returned to her hometown after a few years of being elsewhere. That is how it often actually is. Most people leave for awhile for school and life expereiences and then gravitate back to their hometowns and families. I like that the patterson family live their own life, but stay close to one another.

If you think about it, and if you've have been a long time follower of FBOFW, it's just the natural path of Liz's life that brought her back to Anthony.

THANK YOU LYNN- FOR THE BEST COMIC STRIP CREATED! WE WILL MISS NOT GETTING TO SEE THEM GROW OLDER AND WISER!!

Pattsi, Ottawa

Can we see more of Therese? Possibly covering the relationship from her point of view? She's quickly becoming my favourite character -- her critiques of Anthony were spot on, and I feel rather sympathetic, given how she was treated. Anthony does look like a fool and an overgrown twelve-year-old in the second panel(8/23), and should have learned before then to cut his sandwiches in half.

And speaking as a geek who made rainbow toe socks work with sandals in high school, I can say with some authority that Anthony does look like a foolish dweeb. Wear what you want, but a layer of confidence in what you're wearing will make anything work. Anthony's flinching under silent criticism, and that never works well.

Molli S, Nova Scotia

It's interesting how folks seem to take their own life experiences and spin them onto the FBorFW pages. Maybe it will help someone to view their own choices in a different way. Personally, I very much like the entire story lines. Liz and Anthony finding each other again, Elly and John making arrangements for retirement, April maturing with good values, Michael and Deanna starting a new chapter of their lives; their move into the "family" home. Something I hope one of my own four children might consider. I even appreciate the challenges that Grandpa Jim and Iris now face. My thanks to you Lynn for all the wonderful, thoughtful story lines you have provided us over these years. As I face my own retirement, much like Elly and John, I find that I can meet my own challenges if I just realize that all of us move on. We are not "stopping" anything, we are just "moving on".

Beth, California

Okayyy. I've been holding my breath through your development of the background on the Liz and Anthony situation, wondering if you're going to pull it off. At the moment, I THINK I can say, YES, it's going to happen. You're going to make sense of it. You're going to flesh out Anthony and Therese and give a good reason for the breakup of his marriage, and for Liz to want to be with him. That makes me happy.

Personally, I get bored and impatient when the strip gets preachy, when the sufferings of life loom too large in it, when the characters espouse causes, but fortunately those segments don't last too long and you take us back to the REAL meat of humdrum daily ordinary funny life.

I just sent my daughter a collection of your strips about the early days of Michael and Dee's parenting experience with each of their children, to help her with the typical problems she's having with her own first newborn. It helped. Thank you.

Connie

I can see how Anthony would be hurt by Therese's failure to appreciate his down-to-earth etiquette style and groovy vintage 1987 getup, but let us not forget that he tried his darndest to convert a happily childless career woman into a domestic diva. He wanted her to change her entire set of moral and social values. She just wanted him to wear nicer pants.

Rhonda, New Haven

I have been reading this comic forever. My daughter was born in 1981, same as Elizabeth. I just found out today that Elizabeth Patterson's birthday is June 26th, as is mine. My daughter is also named Elizabeth. Thru the years I have so enjoyed watching both of the Elizabeth's grow up. They lost their first helium balloons to the sky in the same week, They went to school at the same time, learned to drive, become teachers. Both moved to the country to teach. Elizabeth Patterson, was to a more remote area. They have grown into beautiful young women. I have always felt that Lynn has an eye into my life. There has been so many similar occurances over the years. I laugh and cry with this fabulous family. Thanks for all the years, hope for more to come!

Sandy E, MN

Anthony is a gentleman, literally. He is fully employed, a university graduate, and takes his role as a parent very seriously. He is a man of principle as well, evidence of which is his determined effort over time to make what he soon discovered to be a bad marriage work. He did not walk out on Therese. She walked out on him, let us remember.

Elizabeth worked hard not to interfere with that marriage as long as it existed. Paul betrayed her, not the other way around, although it is a classic example of a long distance relationship collapsing for that reason alone, without a lot of further fussing about cultural differences, which did not seem, as shown in the strip, all the great as between Paul and Liz as individuals.

Warren is simply an opportunist, and his scheming and games playing does not sit well with me.

The story lines in the script are very human and very believable, and no one, really, is actually labelled as some kind of cardboard cutout, one dimensional "bad person."

Bob, Ontario

some people really can go out into the world and have their adventures and then decide to try to have a nice quiet life. That is something I long for - something peaceful and normal. As an military wife, my life is nuts, I would love to see Elizabeth happy with whatever she chooses. I had my adventures before I got married, found the man of my dreams and now we have the biggest adventure of all - marriage and a family. what's wrong with that? why is it so wrong for Liz to want to go home and have a relationship that feels good to her? As far as Therese, I always thought she was self centered, controlling, rude and obnoxious. Anthony has always been there for Elizabeth, even while trying to make his marriage work. Remember, he didn't leave, Therese did.
I've always loved this strip because of the way the adventures and conflicts of normal life are brought to life.

Heidi, Fort Hood, Texas