Robin Williams' daughter issues message of hope against depression

Zelda and her father, the late Robin Williams.

ZELDA WILLIAMS, The late Robin Williams’ 26-year-old daughter posted an inspiring message to Instagram, asking people who suffer from depression to “hold on to the possibility of hope.”
“I live my sadness every day, but I don’t resent it anymore,” Williams said. “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. 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.”

instagram.com

She took the Instagram photo of the moon shining over a lake to accompany her post. The post reads in full:

Moonrise on the lake I spent this night shivering and laughing under a clear, cold sky full of stars with people I love just to witness something beautiful. We mooned the moon and laughed ourselves hoarse, and I’m so incredibly grateful for every silly second. 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. 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. 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 on to the possibility of hope, faint though it may be. Because I promise you, there’re enough nights under the same yellow moon for all of us to share, no matter how or when you find your way there.

The mother of Zelda and her brother Cody is Marsha Garces, a Filipina American, who was the comedian's second wife. 

Williams killed himself on August 11, 2014, after suffering from depression for many years. He had recently been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's disease, said his widow, Susan Williams, William's third wife.

Williams' three children, Zelda, Cody and Zak Williams (Zak is the oldest sibling from the comedian's first marriage) have been locked in a legal tussle with their stepmother over the late comedian's estate.

###