<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Smiling to Survive - My life's journey after my little brother completed suicide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Smiling to Survive ]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/home</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:11:08 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Time is making it worse...]]></title><description><![CDATA[Grief is multi dimensional and has an infinite time line. You can grieve not only a death of someone or pet, but we can grieve a...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/time-is-making-it-worse</link><guid isPermaLink="false">654ba56e808d4fad6d5a1274</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Dec 2023 04:24:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a22284_3ef3a29ec5414756a86fe329c232a4dc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_444,h_198,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Freaking Grief ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two years ago, the entire week was a blur and I felt as if I was watching the events that unfolded, through someone else's eyes, yet I...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/freaking-grief</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64bebf74bea7e47d927e456a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 19:46:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_b1bb1334386b4dd3a1db4d37f0a5acdd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_720,h_540,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why did you leave?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why did you leave? Without saying goodbye. Your life truly mattered, did you forget all the reasons why? Did you feel so alone that the...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/why-did-you-leave</link><guid isPermaLink="false">645ba880966113b9e23150c2</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 May 2023 16:27:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_173189f64d894693b994c30b3e4c0f46~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_611,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[️ Clouded Minds ️]]></title><description><![CDATA["Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. Neither is talking about it. It's time to talk." This will be a series on the stigma of...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/clouded-minds</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63e171f7f6ccd43e50561d16</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2023 16:27:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_026e2ca6fe62437e9cd21859571be0c7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_564,h_517,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[They say it's your Birthday...]]></title><description><![CDATA[Awe ❤️ Your first "official" baby picture! To tell the truth, you look a little irritated! Understandable, if I remember correctly, you...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/they-say-it-s-your-birthday</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63c71174dbc300becf43a4d1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2023 02:05:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_351b55173b0144f8b6b7319d902e6b11~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Januarys are proving to be difficult...]]></title><description><![CDATA[The holidays weren't what I was dreading, we never really celebrated them together consistently anyways but when I moved back to town in...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/januarys-are-proving-to-be-difficult</link><guid isPermaLink="false">63b4c75e19813b13c16ceacc</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2023 02:28:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_0e3f0587cc7c4695902a0bf4d9b2e44a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_619,h_324,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I'm still "Me".... Just a different "Me".]]></title><description><![CDATA[This grief thing is hard. I know I've stated that before, but this loss, this specific type of loss with this specific person has...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/i-m-still-me-just-a-different-me</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62bc8fa7815763a889fc0362</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Oct 2022 20:01:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_88b07b9c96a3488b876c8026aca45400~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_720,h_393,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[First Year as a Legacy...]]></title><description><![CDATA["I appreciate your existence a great deal." - Vince You don't want to know how many times I've tried to start this one flipping blog...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/first-year-as-a-legacy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62cf18268860687e0b0fc107</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Jul 2022 02:13:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_209b433736e34a10b3fcac922d72e555~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_904,h_903,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Good Parts of You]]></title><description><![CDATA[No one is perfect. No one is completely good; we all have demons and skeletons in our closets. Later in your life, you allowed your...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/the-good-parts-of-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">62ab95c1461fd357517218c3</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2022 18:17:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_80ce3f36ceee4a75882feaa4720a79eb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Family....‍♀️]]></title><description><![CDATA[The death of our mother put a huge crack in our already small family foundation, but the suicide of our brother just ripped it apart. I...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/family</link><guid isPermaLink="false">625af6e7de6ab5496e8e25ec</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 May 2022 15:56:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_6ffefb890ca14de9a92ae3b3216bb409~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Therapy Time ]]></title><description><![CDATA["The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination."- Carl Rogers I decided to start therapy a few...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/therapy-time</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6266079a828703ea4f529497</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2022 22:18:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_088089938b2246c389e1b2e2fcbc9451~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trying to be bright in a world of darkness...]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've come to realize over the years and especially this past one, that certain people who were once attached to my life, have cut the...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/trying-to-be-bright-in-a-world-of-darkness</link><guid isPermaLink="false">624f39005e6bdf22b3e206a5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2022 22:00:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_79952b4a616a467d842b8d36ebb16d65~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_720,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Life in Chaos]]></title><description><![CDATA[Since my brother's death, I've been seeing a therapist. Along with the journaling, therapy has really helped, not just in dealing with...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/a-life-in-chaos</link><guid isPermaLink="false">623212c6347e04a0c8a34c90</guid><pubDate>Sun, 27 Mar 2022 16:06:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_a164bef6c4ed4b0491b579cab4595939~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_530,h_500,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The 6th Year]]></title><description><![CDATA["All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."- Abraham Lincoln It's lonely when your mom is in heaven. It's that immediate...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/the-6th-year</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6213b1c50c86cfeac72bdda2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2022 04:11:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_def11d46444f49018f33a196e9c96713~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_960,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“Watch and you’ll see, someday I’ll be part of your world.” – Ariel, The Little Mermaid  ]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've always been a sucker for Disney movies, especially some of the classics. The Little Mermaid is one of those. Ariel's desire to be...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/watch-and-you-ll-see-someday-i-ll-be-part-of-your-world-ariel-the-little-mermaid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6213b19864835f80a69ec099</guid><pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:48:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_69bcb2369d13451193a7ad88ff5b7384~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_889,h_949,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Happy Birthday Vince ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today is your first birthday not in this world, you're forever 29. This picture is from your 26th birthday, you always stated that clowns...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/happy-birthday-vince</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61df35f23c34d700163c3bc8</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jan 2022 03:04:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_05d885ce0f7048079f67f1e03eaaccba~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[2021, I survived.  2022, I want to LIVE!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Did I mention that I am an extreme "people pleaser"? I've done this over and over and over for, I'm going to say, MY WHOLE LIFE! And the...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/2021-i-survived-2022-i-want-to-live</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61d3fd6fa649350016885b6b</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 09:30:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_7dce935f13584366b604d396ec1b149e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_720,h_465,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stuck inside of my own head...]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes the hell our own mind keeps us in, is debilitating. And for some, just down right a death sentence. I know this is how my...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/stuck-inside-of-my-own-head</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61bbad54aa413d00167e7a9a</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Dec 2021 17:49:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_a56742910aff4603b6851b2d8b304d4f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_673,h_673,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I MISS YOU ]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's coming up on 5 months, 5 months you've been gone from this world.  5 months of living with an unimaginable guilt and regret that...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/i-miss-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">61a9aaaf66db87001686bddd</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Dec 2021 22:44:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_e698bfa03cad4d7fac756471dc6e0c2e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Last Supper...]]></title><description><![CDATA[This was my first BIG family holiday dinner when I moved back to my home town, It was a beginning to an end that came to soon. My mom...]]></description><link>https://www.smilingtosurvive.com/post/last-supper</link><guid isPermaLink="false">619ba241600370001728f1a6</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Nov 2021 19:44:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ceb97e_e1a16ba7be6743968799747fb0948bc7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Misty Dotson</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>