It’s not terribly often that TV gets some love here, but today is no ordinary occasion. This afternoon, one of broadcast’s longest running shows signs off for good. After an astounding 54-year run on CBS, As The World Turns will air its 13,858th and final episode.

Say what you will about soap operas, and snicker if you must, but there’s no denying the once-dominant daytime genre captivated generations of loyal viewers, who couldn’t wait to tune in every weekday, year after year, anxious to watch the latest twists and (yes) turns in the lives of their favorite characters. My mom has always been a fan of the soaps on CBS, and as my siblings and I were born and grew up, we watched along with her and became just as invested in these stories (occasionally to my dad’s derisive dismay).

As The World Turns was our absolute favorite soap in the CBS lineup; we couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Tuning in to these daily tribulations together, which, after weeks of drawn-out plots, reliably resulted in bringing Oakdale’s families closer together, a greater bond was formed at my house as well.

It all began with the show’s open, featuring an orbiting earth. Even if you never watched ATWT (abbreviated in soap-opera parlance), you’ve got to love the announcer’s earnest delivery of the Procter & Gamble product taglines:

I can’t help but think back to long summers spent wondering if Tom and Margo would ever escape the clutches of Mr. Big and his crazy castle; whether Lily would decide her true soulmate was dreamy Dusty or stableboy Holden; relishing the occasional catfight between grand dames Lisa and Lucinda; and of course, always remaining on alert for the return of the cunningly devious James Stenbeck, who, no matter what mortal end befell him, was never truly, completely dead. And I was watching when ATWT introduced daytime’s first-ever gay male character, Hank Elliott. (In 2007, the very same soap made gay history once again, featuring the first-ever kiss between two male characters, one of whom was Luke Snyder, Lily and Holden’s son.)

So today’s ATWT series finale also sadly puts something of a wrap on all those years of personal memories. Growing up when I did, I also got to see Meg Ryan, Julianne Moore, and Marisa Tomei all get their start on ATWT before becoming marquee movie stars (view a little of Moore’s time on the show here). But all these fond recollections don’t equal ratings, and I’d stopped watching sometime in college.

Now a myriad of entertainment options vie for the same daytime eyeballs, so it’s no surprise ratings for soap operas have slid so far, so fast. Yet I still found it comforting to tune in to As The World Turns whenever I had the odd sick day or was on staycation, even for only a few minutes, and still see some familiar faces. And proving the world truly turns in unexpected ways, I got the opportunity to manage the creation of a website about the reunion of on-again/off-again couple Jack and Carly, a tactic designed to get lapsed fans to tune in again, though the cancellation announcement was followed not long after its launch.

This afternoon, however, whether you watched a long time ago, or until the very end, we all have one last chance to check in on Oakdale and say a final goodbye.