#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes Alicia Dean @Alicia_Dean_ !!

Good Morning Friends and a Blessed Day to you ALL!

Tomorrow I'm heading out for a camping trip. We'd planned on going up to the lake in March/April until this Covid crap shut the parks down. They re-opened last week so off we go. Never fear though, Saturday Spotlight will still go on.

Today's guest has visited with us often in the past, so please welcome Alica Dean back as she shares some words with us on family relationships.....

This past weekend, I was in Grand Prairie, Texas visiting my daughter (Lacey) who moved there over a year ago. The weekend was extra special because my other daughter (Lana) and my son (Presley) were there as well. I rented an Airbnb, and my son stayed with me. My middle child, the one who lives in Texas, hung out with us all weekend. My eldest daughter was only there for the evening on Saturday.

Want to know what was so special about it? (Besides the fact that it rained all weekend, which is perfect weather in my opinion, and my children feel the same…yes, we are odd. LOL!) My oldest and youngest child have been estranged from my middle child, and we hadn’t all four been together in at least a few years. Lacey is an addict. She’s thirty-four, and we have been through hell as a family because of her struggle with addiction. Thank God, she is clean now. Has been for just over a year. It took some time for her brother and sister to come around. They were afraid to trust that she’d really changed. I can understand that. She’d manipulated us so many times before, and we ended up having our trust betrayed, over and over. As a mom, I could never turn my back on her. I tried to practice tough love from time to time, but I couldn’t really release her to the wilds and take a chance on her ending up dead in the streets. It was difficult, but I’m glad I hung in there. There was a time I thought I’d lost her, but she’s good now. All three of my kids are good now. I heard a saying a while back… 

“A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.” I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a truer statement.

If you’re going through something similar, don’t give up hope. But please don’t enable, either. I’m afraid I did my fair share of that, which likely only prolonged her drug usage. An addict or an alcoholic usually will not get help until they’ve reached rock bottom. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s so true. It takes literally having no other choice and them knowing they will die if they don’t get clean and sober. If you are going through this, I’m sorry. Stay strong and, if you believe in prayer, pray. There is always hope. This is a pic of my three children, but not from this weekend. I didn’t even think to take pictures, but I wish I had. I’ll be sure to take some next time. :-)

Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 10, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. 

Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching (and rewatching) her favorite televisions shows like Ozark, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, Vampire Diaries, and The Originals. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Stephen King, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.

Find Alicia Here:

Email: Alicia@AliciaDean.com

Website: http://aliciadean.com/

Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAliciaDean/

Twitter: @Alicia_Dean_

Instagram: AliciaDeanAuthor

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alicia-dean

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/aliciamdean/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean

Alicia's latest release, Precarious, part of the Martini Club 4 1940's series, along with the other books in this series - Pampered by Kathy L Wheeler, Perilous by Amanda McCabe and Priceless by Krysta Scott can be purchased at Amazon.

SO happy everyone got to spend that quality time together, Alicia! Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care and be blessed.

PamT