Robin Williams...you will be missed.

My world tilted badly on its axis tonight.  It was a pretty good night at Jade Mountain, classes were running along at full steam, I'd had some visits from some folks that made me pretty happy earlier in the day.  Suddenly, I got word that Robin Williams died today.  That really rocked me.  I grew up watching him on Happy Days, Mork and Mindy, and everything he's ever done since.  Heck, I wore Mork from Ork suspenders in one of my school pictures, 4th grade, I think.

His death was tragic, and unnecessary, and my heart aches for him and for his family.  Robin brought a great deal of light and laughter into my life over the years.  He was gifted as both a comedian and a dramatic actor.  Yes, he made me laugh until I thought I'd wet myself, but he also made me cry, made me think, and then made me laugh again with performances that ranged from hilarious to deeply emotional. He always seemed so approachable, and I've long heard tales of his kindness and generosity.  He was the sweetest man, and he's gone far too soon.

Facebook is covered with remembrances of Robin at the moment, and every so often, I see something that makes me cry again.  I'll just end with this.  Christopher Reeve was another one of my favorites from the big screen, a courageous man who showed my generation that a man could fly.  He inspired me as a kid, and to this day, I have the Superman theme on my iPhone.  When Chris Reeve had his accident, this happened...

"When Christopher Reeve was in the hospital, awaiting a back surgery that had a fifty/fifty chance of killing him, a man burst into his room. He was wearing surgical scrubs, talking in a Russian accent, and said he was there to give a rectal exam. It was Robin Williams; the two men had been roommates together at Juilliard. Later Reeve said of his life-long friend:

“For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay.”

That's sort of what Robin Williams did for all of us."

Godspeed, Robin.  You will be missed so very much.