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Lynn;
I'll be 74 in October and the Patterson family has started my day every morning for the last fifteen years. I'm a widower and while I'm in better shape than Jim I can understand him. I guess what I'm trying to say is that without the Patterson family my day wouldn't be complete. Thank you and keep up the excellent work.

Bruce, Winnipeg

As a Canadian (Victoria, B.C.) now living in the Middle East, I just wanted to thank you for my daily dose of Canada. I look up your strip every day and the Pattersons really are part of our family. I love that it is a Canadian strip with Canadian references, but the characters are universal.
Oh, and thanks for the butter tart recipies - that's something that I really miss over here. I'm going to make some tonight!

Mary Anne S., Doha, Qatar (Middle East)

I just read today's strip (9/3/07) and just had to laugh. I have a five year old son, and whenever he asks an "in-depth" question, and I hem and haw on going into details, he'll remind me he has "no where special to go".

I'm looking forward to seeing how this story progresses!!

Ruth C, Orlando FL

*Sigh* I just read today's strip, and I know what it means, but I just wanted to say, this has been, by far, the best strip I have ever read. My best friend actually asked me once when she would meet my friend Elly. She never understood I was talking about a comic strip!

Amanda, Washington

The Oregonian published an article saying Lynn is going to begin slowing down. God love her. Since it's inception our family has read FBOW, reveling in its' truth and relevency. Our granddaughter was born the day April appeared and we clipped the pregnancy and growth strips for her memory book. This comic strip is so real. It has touched our lives in a hundred ways. Thank you Lynn for your talent and vision. I don't even want to think of life without you.

Sandy M, Gleneden Beach, OR

"That's OK, Daddy, I've got time." So do we, Lynn. I think this strip is off to a promising "new" start. Thank you for making the "old folks" matter again.

Jo M-D, Ypsilanti, Michigan

This is the only "comic" I read. I just love it - all of it. Not a dog lover but always smiled at Liz' kitty!!First thing I get up on my comp. (I'm 80 on 18th - as if that's of interest!!)

Bonnie S, Endicott, NY

Lynn, thank you for all the wonderful years with the Pattersons. I am 30, so I really have known this comic strip my entire life. As today marks the beginning of the strip's new phase, I feel nostalgic.
My mother and one of my best friends and I always talk about FBorFW and what is happening to the characters. It is wonderful to have writing that has made us laugh, cry, smile, and always wonder about what the many characters will do next.
While I will sincerely miss the current format of FBorFW, I am believer in compromise and I look forward to the storylines continuing in their new way rather than ending.
Thank you to Lynn and the staff at FBorFW for giving me something to look forward to each morning when I log on to my computer. And someday, I hope to introduce my one-year old daughter to this timeless comic.

Erin W., Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA

Hello,
This mornings strip brought it all home and I burst into tears. I did not think it was possible.
I don't remember how long its been since I started reading FBorFW. Its always been the first thing I look at before I read the paper in the morning. I have three children in the same order as the Paterson Kids and a retired Father who lives with us. Your strip has always given me a smile to start my day. The transition strip was well written and sensitive as usual.

I really would like you to give us a few more scenes with Elly and what she thinks about where things are going.

Good luck &
Thank you for a life time of fun, support and entertainment.

Carolyn K, Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Hi there!
Todays strip was such a good way to start the new transitional strip. Yet I am conflicted! Fborfw has been part of my life for many many years and I will so miss the changing faces, dreams and aspirations of the characters. I am however determined to enjoy this phase as well, just please pardon my tears,they seem to have a life of their own.

Minnie K, stellenbosch south africa

Wow! Do you ever reach readers where they live. Your characters are sooooo real. Different people have different and strong reactions to the same characters and the same situations. Each reader projects his/her biases and outlooks into the strip. Whether readers agree or not with whatever is going on in the strip, each is obviously moved. This is the hallmark of a really great writer. Your literary talents equal your cartoonist talents. Kudos to you! I too have enjoyed the Pattersons for years and years now. Thanks for all the entertainment, chuckles and food for thought. If the strips remain on the web (please?:D) we all can revisit and enjoy them for years to come. Best of wishes for a fun, life affirming retirement.

Kathy, NYC

Kathy - the strips will indeed stay online!

I guess I wanted to mention that I have terribly mixed feelings about 'phase two' for FBOFW. On the one hand, I think the mix of old and new material gives the series a new lease on life in a way that old strips placed on reruns don't have. But...on the other hand, I'm really disappointed because I wanted closure to the stories of the Patterson family whose lives have been lived in 'real time' for decades.

I've known for years Lynn would be eventually retiring from FBOFW and that made me sad, but it also gave me an expectation that the stories of the Pattersons would move toward... if not an ending than at least an appropriate moment to leave their story. The thought that we won't get to that point, and that the 'ending' of FBOFW is just reruns with dollops of new material (with the Patterson's ages now frozen, like Blondie) frustrates me as a long-time reader.

It sounds from the latest news items that even though you're going to mix old and new you might be leading some kind of point to leave the story before freezing them. I hope that's the case. I'm emotionally invested in the story of the Patterson family and how they've grown over the years and gotten older as I've gotten older. I'd like some closure to their story before they become perpetually suspended as fictional characters.

Graeme B, Toronto, Ontario

Don't worry Graeme - we won't leave you hanging!

Dear FBorW team,
I work 7 days a week and must get up at 4:00am to get to my jobs as a Pre-K Disabilities classroom teacher Monday-Friday, and an Abuse Counselor on the weekends. The very first thing I do when I roll out of bed, is to get online and read "For Better or Worse". I was really alarmed when I read about your plans to change the format of the strip. I understand that while your readers are dreading the "end", you and the team must be looking forward to the relief of the daily pressure. I know it must be a heavy responsibility to engage, entertain, and respond to your readers. I am still confused about the "new" strip. I thought that you were going to alternate between old and new stories, indefinitely. But with the letter released today, it seems as though the new stories will stop altogether early next year. Can you clarify the plan for me and others? Thank you, A loyal and misty-eyed fan.

Bridget M, Tallahassee, Florida USA

Hi Bridget - Lynn plans to wrap up the existing storylines (mingling those strips with some "looking-back" content) and then keep the present-day characters looking back through the hybrid strip. So there will still be resolution to the current story arcs, continued new material as the Pattersons reflect, and selected "retro strips" reappearing in the mix for the foreseeable future. Hope this helps! It's an experiment for us, so we're entering this new territory at the same time our readers are. Thanks for coming along for the ride!