Last year, at this time, I emerged from several days off the grid to read the breaking news about Robin Williams. We all know the tragic story.

This is going to be short. Let’s make the first anniversary of his death a time to pause and reflect. Like many of you, I survived both childhood and adulthood by cultivating a keen sense of humor. Learning to laugh was what kept me airborne, lifted me above the absurdities of life, kept me from sinking permanently into the pits of despair.

Robin Williams was a master of the art of laughing. He was magic, with that rare ability to make us all laugh. Together, we all managed to get through life, one challenging day at a time.

Then, one perfectly ordinary day last year, the laughter died.

Let us always remember this day.