This is me...

I believe you must bring your whole self to the table if you want to thrive in today’s crazy world; your personality, your sense of humor, and most importantly, your heart. All of these elements brought me to start Smiling to Survive.

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Journaling has been an outlet for me since my brother's suicide, July 19th 2021. It helps me cope not only with his death but that of our mother, Paula on March 4, 2016, our sweet niece, Katana February 4th, 2025, my father, Tom March 7th, 2025 and my bonus mom, Mickey April 10th 2025. When all I want to do is scream and cry, it has brought me sanity . It's not easy and most of the time I feel numb, but I put on a smile so that I can survive. 

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If you made it this far, I hope you stay!

To quote my baby brother, my little scrappy doo, "I appreciate your existence a great deal." 

Vince S. Peckham

01.16.92 - 07.19.21

 

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