All Comments on 'GOALS, DREAMS, and LIFE'

....where is the drama?And why did she tell him she didn't love him back then when all she had to say was I need someone who is here.Pistolpackinpete

Unlike Pete, I think the real power of this story is in the common, everydayness of it. Our lives have changes in them, and we grow (or shrink) in the way we respond to those experiences. We may understand ourselves and others much better at 27 than at 22. It is a powerful story.

Making long term commitments before reaching a certain level of experience is dangerous. In this case there was a chief petty officer around to teach the shavetail what is important. Actually any of the three paths were perfectly viable and I am sure he would have done well on any of them! My thanks to the author.

Let me get this straight - Drew loves Caitlyn - she doesn't love Drew - then he loves Mattie - she doesn't love him either - then, all of a sudden, and after apparently trying out a few other options, Caitlyn decides he might do - and he just eats it up?? - you're right - how could he ever become an officer.

The story was entertaining so I awarded 75 points - but I think Drew would have done very well by looking around a bit in stead of just accepting seconds.

...is the only word for this story

congratulations on a job well done. excellent story, well written. bravo.....

Don't get me wrong, the story was well thought out and the characters were all well developed but I just felt there were flaws in Caitlyn and Drew. First off, I have never cared much for the "if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with" type of person which, obviously, fit Caitlyn perfectly. Couple that fact with Drew's acceptance of her unwillingness to wait for him and he appears weak. Let's just say that I wasn't overly pleased that these two lived happily ever after.

P.S. I really appreciated your email acknowledging my comments on "Desperado". I know my critiques of your work can seem syrupy but that is only because I really appreciate your style of writing. As the above critique attests, I do try to be honest.

By wimps I mean that rather than face a situation/problem head on, they choose to run away and waste away time they wouldn't get back. It's tiresome to read story after story where they run away and bury their heads in the sand.

I think all of your characters had strong moral standards and convictions and the ability to make tough decisions. You do not see that in LIT stories very often

Thanks for the story

Before Drew returned home after leaving the navy, Caitlyn had never once said she loved him. She topped that while he was still in the navy by telling him she had fallen in love with someone else. When Drews father was giving him a bad time after returning to the ranch about calling Caitlyn, he should have given him one simple line, that in all the time they were together she had never said she loved him. Aside from that, it was a good/entertaining story. Thank You.

Not one person walked in your shoes, along the same path you trod influenced by the personalities and environments you encountered. That applies to me, all the Annon's out here and this fine author. What's past is history and some might live to learn from it but it can't change what was. Like real life, this story line IS what it is and was written as Woody wrote and published it. I sincerely believe it's realistic, believable and beautiful. Along the way I "expected" the action to go in different directions but the words were complete when Woody finished - not too much and not too little for a short story with an already defined objective. CUDOs.

So says Tony C

Not one person ever walked in your shoes, along the same path you trod, or influenced by the personalities and environments you encountered. That applies to me, to all the Annon's out here and to this fine author. What's past is history and some might live to learn from it but it can't change what was. Like real life, this story line IS what it is and was written as Woody wrote and published it. I sincerely believe it's realistic, believable and beautiful. Along the way I "expected" the action to go in different directions but the words were complete when Woody finished - not too much and not too little for a short story with an already defined objective. CUDOs.

So says Tony C

Fine story, I really enjoyed it. Not sure how I missed it before..think I'll go thru them all again. Thanks for writing.

tom anon

P.S. I'm going TDY to Norfolk soon, can I have Maddie's phone number?

A very well written story. Well fleshed out with details, which made it hang together even though he moved considerably through space and time. Chief Casey was an effective foil. Breaking off the relationship with Maddie was sad, but made easier to take because you didn't dwell on her very much. I could have stood a little more about the motorcycle trip home.

There was an underlying feeling all along that he wasn't done with Kitty yet. I'll have to read it again to figure out how you did that.

Good writing, therefore good reading. Thank you.

..though I did get to bang her for five years!

James

BUT this set of characters had a bit missing - that is usually at least present in most of your other stories - depth and feeling.

Caitlyn was somewhat cold and calculated right to the end - very little passion showed up -

Maddie too for her part - just like he said to Caitlyn - Maddie said I have my life planned and you are welcome init - on m,y terms - or make your own way - oh yeah BTW I love you.

Then Caitlyn says - hey nice to have you back - i figured I was waiting on you so I can come back now - I think - let's see? Again no passion just conversation.

Our young hero had more intense emotions throughout -

But I did like the overall story - a lot - dreams and needs and wants -

Your sneaky, I was expecting a third woman in the story. As always I loved your story. I only gave you 5 stars this time because that is all that is allowed. I for got to sign my name on Gloria but it was the title of my comment.

Ed Grocott

edgrocott@gmail.com

I don't know about this story. It was well-written, entertaining and interesting...BUT...

I think both Caitlyn and Maddy were a little selfish. I didn't care for either character. They wanted things their way or else. That doesn't sound like Love to me, more like convenience. She is happy as long as she gets her way. I kinda wished there was a third girl who really loved this guy. Anyway, thanks for the story.

Knowng yourself is the first step to finding happiness. The 2 young ladies evidently were smart enough to do just that. Naval service is the road to many to many divorces with the enevitable separations, 2 or 3 per career is not uncommon. And some people need the company of family living close by, heck, some people live their entire lives within a few blocks of where they were born. Don't forget He was not willing to stay with Her. I was looking for the 3rd girl, too. Don't you just love authors to surprise you. Good job!

DHL

I think I am beginning to figure out what draws me to Woody's romantic stories. They tend to hit a nerve and memories of situations that occurred years ago in my life. That leads me into thinking about them and what if scenarios.

I'm not convinced about Kitty. I just have the nagging feeling that if she received an offer of a promotion which required her to move, she would.

The problem with most ranching/farming families is the need for more land. If the 400+ acres were optimal for one family, is it enough to support and sustain two? That is probably the reason why the other three sons found other occupations and moved on.

Caitlyn comes across as a very selfish, self-entitled, self-centered female. She obviously liked playing the field and waiting for anyone was not in the cards. Additionally she didn't care enough to go with Drew so love wasn't enough for her.

All in all, a mostly unlikable female character. That the author forced them together is his privilege but it crippled any belief in true love between them and cast Drew as a future divorcee when Caitlyn decides to expand her horizons.

Sorry, just doesn't work for me.

Just My Opinion, YMMV

Morgan DeWolfe

And it had a happy ending, too. I guess. Both the women he got seriously involved with professed to love him and both proceeded to lay down conditions for carrying on a relationship with him. He walked away from them both, determined to live the life he had planned for many years. But in the end he crawled back to the first woman who dumped him, and ended up marrying her. And as it turned out, pretty much on the terms she had laid out for him toward the end of their first courtship. Oh well, as they say, "Life sucks, and then you die".

Not sure about Kitty. Like a previous comments had rightly pointed out

Up to your usual standards

If Caitlyn was in love with Drew then she would have immediately moved into him when he first kissed her. She would never look surprised when Drew kissed her. They hadn't just met. They had been hanging out for a long time in the group and just the two of them. That part of the story was bullshit!

and some people are even happy. TK U MLJ LV NV

why are all my comments being put into a type of penalty, Why is this happening and what must I do to have this process stopped, TK U MLJ LV NV

A really great story. Good story line, good characters, and a happy ending. I, like some of the other commentators, have a problem with caitlyn. She told him she wasn’t in love with him, says she was in love with some other guy, and at the end never expressed her feelings for him to my satisfaction. Why did she tell him she wasn’t in love with him. Never answered. Thank you

A true case of Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder. 5 STARS CC

please if you're going to write about military subjects do your research. Officers don't enlist they are commissoned indefinitely until they either resign or retire. Non-commissioned enlist for periods of 4 or 6 yrs. That's why they are referred to as enlisted. Drew incurred an active duty service commitment (ADSC) of 5 yrs after graduating in ROTC from collage. At the end of his ADSC he resigned his commission and was out. If he had chosen to stay he would have had to do anything because he was commissioned. They probably would have sent him to a military school for advancement and he would have incurred another ADSC. Enlisted have to reenlist at the end of each enlistment period to continue military service. At certain pay grades they become non-commissioned officers, usually E-4 or E-5 depending in which branch they serve. I hope this helps you better understand and which terminology to use. As a retired enlisted veteran it drove me batty everytime you conflated the terms. Still 5 *

To Woodman and Wolf_Man_1962, Ex-USN-1962 here! I also liked the story except for the inaccuracies. I had to Google Officer Command School because I thought I might be missing something. Nope. Officer Candidate School it is. TDYs of 6 months, but a full cruise of 3 months, and worrying about seasickness on a 90,000 ton ship. PLEASE do your research in the future, as this stuff detracted from an otherwise great story! Thanks for a good read regardless.

Good but predictable. Don't know about the inaccuracies in the military jargon, not my expertise, but the rule of "first girl he falls for is who he ends up with" holds true here. 4/5

I enjoyed it. Thank you.

i enjoy all your works

Great story with a happy ending. 5*s. BUT she had told him when she broke up with him, that she didn't love him like a wife should! She loved James! Quite a turnaround??

Great love story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great story. Love it. AAAAAA++++++

Entertaining as usual.