Life in Stepping Stones

This is Us may be ending but these 10 amazing lessons I’ve learned and Pearson family quotes aided my journey through motherhood and for that I will be forever grateful.

When I started watching the show 6 years ago, it was because I was a huge Mandy Moore fan growing up. She was my inspiration to sing and A Walk to Remember was my favorite movie as a child. Plus, as a huge Gilmore Girls fan, there was no way I was missing seeing Milo Ventimiglio’s butt. Am I right?

But the show turned into so much more than that for me. In the end, their journey coincided so much with my own. Helping me at times when I really needed it, and for that, I will forever be grateful.

The Most Important Message of All: Life is a Beautiful, Revolving Journey

While the Pearson’s raised their babies, my son was only one and every experience was so relatable. When Kate had pregnancy complications, I had suffered my own miscarriage and found solace in her pain. When Jack and Rebecca, and Randall and Beth, were having issues because of their own personal stresses, I related so much, and found comfort in that they made it through the tough times.

Now, as the show wraps up, I’m reflecting on my own past, uncovering memories along the way. Some good, some bad. Some extremely painful.

But if there is anything this show has taught me, it’s that there are many seasons of life. The hard times are unbearable and raw, and they may stay with you for a while. But eventually, the beautiful moments happen again and there is happiness waiting for you.

It’s funny. For people who don’t watch the show, or see a glimpse here and there, they think the show is an endless somber journey of pain. Probably because us fans are always crying (I swear eighty percent of the time it’s happy tears!). But for those of us who watch it, we know the truth. As a whole, This is Us is an uplifting message about the beautiful journey of life.

There are countless other messages This is Us has taught me. Here’s a breakdown of the most important quotes, and the lessons they taught me along the way.

Kevin Pearson

Lesson #1: Life is Beautiful

“I painted this because I felt like the play was about life, you know? And life is full of color. And we each get to come along and we add our own color to the painting, you know? It all just sort of fits somehow.

And even if you don’t understand how yet, people will die in our lives, people that we love. In the future. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe years from now. I mean, it’s kind of beautiful, right? If you think about it, the fact that just because someone dies, just because you can’t see them or talk to them anymore, it doesn’t mean they’re not still in the painting. I think maybe that’s the point of the whole thing. There’s no dying. There’s no you or me or them. It’s just us.”

– Kevin Pearson

This was the moment I knew how special this show was. At the time of this episode, I was still grappling with the death of my grandfather from three years before. He was a wonderful man and I loved him so deeply. To this day, I miss him very much and wish he could’ve met his great grandchildren. He would’ve adored them.

It was not easy for me to find peace with his death. Or death in general. It made my biggest fear so real. But this quote – this outlook – helped me. The idea that death doesn’t mean someone is gone, but that our entire life is a painting, completed by each person who’s touched it, and that somehow they’re always there, is beautiful. I love feeling like my grandpa is always there as a piece of me.

Thank you Kevin Pearson, for helping me understand the concept of death and learn how to grieve.

Beth Pearson

Lesson #2: Nothing Bad Lasts Forever

“That pain is not forever. This moment in time is not forever. Nothing is forever, except us.”

– Beth Pearson

I’ve experienced a lot of painful moments during the past decade of my life and there are plenty of times that it’s hard to see the bigger picture. While Beth and Randall struggled with the challenges thrown their way, and had some major hurdles in their own marriage, I felt it. The closure of our own business and the loss of dreams along the way, put my husband and I through some extremely tough times. But Beth served as a powerful reminder to me that when a love is strong enough, it can withstand anything. And she was right.

Thank you Beth.

Kate Pearson

Lesson #3: Painful Experiences Aren’t a Weakness, They’re a Strength

“But the truth is I’m strong. And the things that I have been through have made me tough as hell.”

– Kate Pearson

As Kate struggled with her own pregnancy issues, after having a miscarriage, I found solace and comfort in her journey. I suffered my own miscarriage a year after her character and watching her struggle through her next pregnancy made me feel less alone.

Her character serves as a reminder that no matter how many battles you face, and how hard the struggle might be, you will eventually find your way. You are strong.

Randall Pearson

Lesson #4: Remember the Good Moments

“All you can do as a parent is try to pack the days with as much good stuff as possible and hope that it outweighs the bad.”

– Randall Pearson

As a parent, I think we all feel this. My son will come to me, almost daily, and tell me it is the “worst day” because of one thing that went wrong. I try so hard to remind him that one bad moment doesn’t take away all of the good ones. It’s impossible to protect our children from the bad moments, or even make them forgot. But hopefully, we can always create wonderful moments too that they’ll remember in the long run.

Lesson #5: Take Each Day at a Time

“Maybe instead of running in the morning, I’ll go for a walk. Slow it down a little. Talk to the mailman. That seems like a good way to start the day.”

– Randall Pearson

Since the beginning of the show, Randall has always placed the weight of the world on his shoulders. The anxiety he’s lived with from the pressure he’s put on himself is so recognizable to me. Along his journey, he learned that he needs to find peace and relaxation in his life. He can’t always be moving at 100 mph.

He taught a valuable lesson that finding your happiness is more important than chasing constant success; and in turn, your happiness can lead to your success.

Jack Pearson

Lesson #6: It’s Okay if Not Everything Turns Out as Planned

“We’re their parents… we do the best we can. But at the end of the day, what happens to them — how they turn out — that’s bigger than us. Sometimes they’ll make good decisions. Sometimes they’ll make bad decisions. And every once in a while, they’re gonna do something that’s gonna knock us off our feet. Something that exceeds even our wildest dreams. Our kids are gonna be fine.”

– Jack Pearson

Who doesn’t love Jack Pearson? Sure, even he had his struggles and he wasn’t perfect; but he is about as close to perfection as you can find on TV.

As a parent, it can be hard to see our children mess up, or get hurt. All we ever want to do is protect them. But Jack serves as a reminder that nothing everything is in our control.

Lesson #7: Failure is a Part of Life, and It’s Okay

You’re going to find your balance — and then you’re gonna lose it, and then you’re gonna find it again. That’s the ride. And you’re gonna make a lot of choices, and I’m probably not gonna be around for all of them. The choices you make are gonna be spectacular, because you are spectacular, son.”

– Jack Pearson

We all lose our way sometimes and plenty of times it can feel like a never ending journey. We need to remember that eventually, it all comes around, even if we can’t always see it in the moment.

Rebecca Pearson

Lesson #8: A Mother’s Love is All That Matters

“I’m terrified that I’m going to make a hundred wrong decisions to keep you guys from living the perfect lives that you deserve, but I will protect you fiercely, and I will always sing to you when you can’t sleep, and I will always be excited to hear you laugh.”

– Rebecca Pearson

Where do I even begin with Rebecca Pearson? Her journey through motherhood has deeply coincided with my own. While the first season showed her and Jack raising the big three in their baby years, I was raising my own son who had just turned one. Every moment they felt, I felt too and her character has always made me feel understood.

Rebecca wasn’t perfect. She made her mistakes and she hit her breaking point at times, but she loved her children with all of her heart. She’s a role model to mother’s everywhere about what being a mom truly means.

Lesson #9: It’s Okay to Want More Than Just Motherhood

“For the past 16 years, I have put everything and everyone ahead of myself.”

– Rebecca Pearson

As a mom, it’s easy to lose ourselves in everyone else’s world. Rebecca struggled to find her own path. As a singer myself, I have also dealt with the feeling that I’ve put my dreams on hold. Rebecca deciding to seek out her dreams again was an inspiration that you don’t have to put yourself on hold forever.

Lesson #10: The Most Beautiful Part of Motherhood

“When you’re a mom, you get a front-row seat to the best show in town: Watching your kids grow up.”

– Rebecca Pearson

No quote rings truer for a mother then this one. As hard as being a mom is some days, the reward is better than you can imagine. Watching your children grow up and become these amazing people. My kids are little right now, and my journey is only just beginning, but I can’t wait to see who they become.

Farewell, This Is Us

I am so sad to see this amazing show come to an end, but I’m grateful it gets to go out exactly as planned with the same quality it began with.

What is your favorite This is Us quote? What lessons has this show taught you? And who is your favorite character? Sound off in the comments!

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