Robin Williams’ Daughter Zelda Lifts Everyone’s Spirits With This Message

A little over a year after Robin Williams' tragic suicide, his daughter Zelda Williams has a hopeful message for those dealing with the loss of a loved one from depression. In an Instagram post dedicated to her late dad, the 26-year-old Williams talked about what she has learned over the course of the past few months, writing, "I came to a realization this year that I feel compelled to share here, for whomsoever may need it: Avoiding fear, sadness, or anger is not the same thing as being happy. I live my sadness every day, but I don't resent it anymore. "Instead, I do it now so that the wonderful moments of joy I do find are not in order to forget, but to inhabit and enjoy for their own sake," she wrote, captioning a photo of the moon rising over a lake. "It's not easy. In fact, I'd say it takes much more effort to consciously do than it does to just stay sad, but with all my heart, I cannot tell you how worth it it is."

Williams' message was not just for those mourning the loss of someone they love, but directed at those suffering with depression firsthand: "And for those suffering from depression, I know how dark and endless that tunnel can feel, but if happiness seems impossible to find, please hold [onto] the possibility of hope, faint though it may be. Because I promise you, there's enough nights under the same yellow moon for all of us to share, no matter how or when you find your way there." To honor her dad, she took her own advice and had a little fun at that same yellow moon's expense. "I spent this night shivering and laughing under a clear, cold sky full of stars with people I love just to witness something beautiful," she wrote. "We mooned the moon and laughed ourselves hoarse, and I'm so incredibly grateful for every silly second." Williams has had a love/hate relationship with Instagram since her father's passing, finding herself the object of trolls who blamed her for her father's death and sent photoshopped photos of his body. Most recently, Williams said she was taking a break from social media, telling fans, "I understand there will be those who wish to leave messages regarding Dad on my board, but please attempt to be respectful and kind to one another in the process." Some messages are just too important not to post.