Bad Neighbors At The Lake Ruining It For the Rest

Dear Laura,
My family and I have a cottage on a lake in Maine. We love to spend time there relaxing and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It’s idyllic and all of our neighbors up there are so nice and are great people except for this incredibly dysfunctional family that live on the same road as us. These people are year-round residents and resent the “summer people”. The husband beats his wife. They don’t work, instead they deal drugs and steal from the neighbors, breaking into their homes. They destroy other people’s property and are just generally hateful. They are high-school drop-outs, substance abusers, criminals, and I have been told that incest has also occurred. Laura, so many people have tried to help this family only to be stabbed in the back. The police do nothing. They say nothing can be done until there is proof in the form of photographs or catching these creeps red-handed. Or until some one is killed. Yes, that’s what we’ve been told. The whole atmosphere of that beautiful place seems poisoned by this family’s energy, and I’m afraid, and angry! Please offer me some advice. I pray for protection all the time when we’re there. Thanks Laura.
–name withheld

Dear Name Withheld,

Wow! This sounds like an episode of Dateline, or a movie. Unfortunately, it’s real life.

First, whenever a crime has been committed, you need to contact the police and let them handle it. Second, unless you have a neighborhood association or are part of a legal community (like a condo association) with bi-laws, fines, and rules, there isn’t a lot you can do except form a neighborhood watch. Third, metaphysically speaking, I suggest that you affirm: My family and our property are protected by the powerful White Light that always surrounds us, at all times. Fourth, I suggest that you affirm/visualize releasing this family “moving on to their greater good somewhere else.” Fifth: Concentrate on the neighbors you enjoy and try to stay positive; avoid gossip. And lastly, I would ask myself why I attracted this experience into my life path and what I can learn from it. If all else fails, short of you and the other neighbors offering to buy the owner out, you can move, but I hope it doesn’t have to come to that.