I don't often say that I'm actually a fictional character in a television show because most people wouldn't take it well. Honestly, I wouldn't blame them - not everyone can pull it off without looking crazy. But there's no denying that I identify more with Rory Gilmore than with any other character on television.

As I watched the last two episodes of Season 7 of "Gilmore Girls," I was drawn into a wave of emotion. Rory was graduating college, navigating relationships, and trying to make a path for her future. While she didn't like the absence of a definitive plan, she embraced it - even declining Logan Huntzberger's marriage proposal to do so.

All of these poignant scenes never impacted me so deeply until now. I will walk across the stage for graduation in May. Like Rory, I've had highs and lows, but I've loved every second of my time at Yale - I mean, UNC Charlotte. (I'm sure Rory would have loved the Queen City!)

One of the most emotional scenes was when the Lorelai’s said their goodbyes at their lovely home before heading over to Luke's for one last breakfast together. Watching the eldest Lorelai try to hold it together while her only child quickly embarks on a new adventure made me want to cry. These tears weren’t only for the Gilmores; they were especially powerful because only days ago, my family faced a similar reality.

The night after Thanksgiving, my family sat around the kitchen table. While we had our usual array of cheesy jokes and heart-felt laughter, the conversation turned to my younger brother's college plans. This is a big decision for anyone to navigate. Only five years ago, I was having the same conversation with my family. While my original college plans didn’t work out, I ended up just where I needed to be. And while I hope that my brother’s plans don’t take him on a roller coaster ride, I hope that he ends up just where he needs to be, too.

But I know it’s hard for my parents. I can see how hard it is to think about both children leaving home, navigating college life either years before graduation or months after it. The world is a different place every week – even every day – and I can’t imagine what they’ve felt, what they’ve thought, and what they’ve gone through in order to steer us in a world that’s unpredictable.

Just like Lorelai, there are times when I know my parents are trying to keep it together. It takes a lot of strength not to fall apart, especially when your family is so much of your world. Some may say that Rory and Lorelai’s close relationship is not normal, and you’re right. It’s not normal for a lot of people today, but it’s normal for us.

I’m sure that the day after Rory left, Lorelai took out pictures of Rory as a toddler and reminisced about the days of teaching her child how to walk, not necessarily how to walk away. I’m sure she cried over the days when Rory flew as Lorelai tossed her in the air. Now, she was processing how Rory was flying on her own as an independent adult.

And I’m sure that Rory thought of her mom more times than she could count. As she covered then-Senator Barack Obama’s campaign, there were probably days that she missed being in Stars Hollow, surrounded by friends and family. On the hardest days when it seemed like nothing was going to work out, all Rory probably wanted to do was go home and cocoon herself with blankets. But she kept pressing forward, for herself and for the strongest woman she knew: her mom.

So as I watch the “Gilmore Girls” revival with my own mom, I’ll remember not to take any of these moments together for granted. I don’t know what my life will look like in a year or even in six months, but I do know that I can always turn to family. Where life leads us, I will follow.