contribute a verse

I can remember watching Mork and Mindy as a kid. I recall laughing at the wonderful voice performance of the genie in the lamp. I've watched Jumanji with my sister countless times. I've enjoyed Mrs. Doubtfire and Night at the Museum, but this only scratches the surface of the many unique acting and voice performances of Robin Williams.

I always felt like I could know this guy. Watching his crazy interviews and live performances reminded me of what was going on in my head most of the time. He could also be a serious actor: from Patch Adams and The Fisher King to The Awakening and Good Morning Viet Nam, he had the ability to draw you into his performance... especially with his eyes... he had kind eyes.

To be honest, his portrayal of a teacher in The Dead Poet's Society played a significant role in my decision to be a teacher myself. From the Carpe Diem whispering scene to the brilliant "Oh Captain, My Captain!" near the end of the movie, Mr. Keating (Williams) embodied, so very closely, what I wanted to be as a teacher: outside of the box. In fact, I just spent the last half hour watching Dead Poet's Society clips on YouTube.

Obviously, I am mentioning all of this because Robin Williams was found dead in his home. As far as they can tell, he committed suicide. He was struggling with depression. This isn't the first time that there has been an entertainer pass away, that I knew I would miss. But with this death I find myself genuinely sad. Mostly because many of his roles portrayed a character that was so near to the grand story, but just missed it. In this video, there is the audio from a scene in the Dead Poet's Society:

 

Robin Williams definitely contributed a verse. I am just sad because it seems that such a creative mind may have missed THE Creative Mind. I hope that before he died, he trusted in the only one who can save men's souls and write our names in the Book of Life.