Right now, my emotions are all over the place. Which brings us back to me and my dog and our dramatic journey through the rain. When we'd walked as far as we were going to go, I turned to her and said the same words I always say when it's time for us to head back: "Let's go home." And that was it. With those words, the crying started. Not just crying — heaving sobs. I mean, it was bad. Strangers leering at you and wondering if they should intervene for the welfare of your dog bad. "Let's go home."

God, those words. You'll understand why when tonight's episode airs. Because —spoiler alert that doesn't actually spoil anything — it's the last line of the episode. It's a bittersweet moment and I do hope you enjoy the scene; it's one of my favorites. But for me, it's not just the end of an episode. For me, it's the end of a journey. After six seasons and more than 100 episodes, those are the last words of Braverman dialogue that I will ever write. Because a few days after I sent the script to Jason, this is the response I got:

Another beautiful script. Sadly, I have no notes.

I don't know where I'll go next. It's unlikely that my next show will last 100 episodes. Out of our entire huge — and hugely talented — cast, only Craig T. Nelson and Lauren Graham had ever made it to 100 before. That's just the nature of television these days. You work for 13 episodes or so and then pack up your stuff — in my case two Ewoks and three Smurf action figures that always sit on my desk — and move on to the next thing. But this time, I'm taking a lot more with me than just a few action figures. If you want to get literal, my Smurfs now come with a fancy mushroom house that was a gift from fellow writer Kerry Ehrin. I never thought about it until I was packing them up, but it seems fitting that my Smurfs found a home on this show too.

My Smurfs' home will travel with them, and in a way, mine will too. Because that's the other thing the Bravermans have taught me. When you're a part of a family as big, and loud, and all consuming, and smothering, and loving as them, you don't stand a chance in hell of ever really leaving. So in a way, my final words couldn't be more fitting. And that's how I choose to say good-bye to Parenthood. To the Bravermans. To the best 103 episodes of my life. By saying, "Let's go home."