There's a sadness around our little cabin community at the lake. It's a beautiful, cold, sunny day, but it's just not the happy place it usually is.

The matriarch of our neighborhood was diagnosed with a very rare disease just prior to Christmas. She's no longer in danger but she'll be in therapy for a long time. As a result, she and her husband haven't been at their home here for two months. It's lonely without them.

And the neighbors across the road from them haven't been here much either since they are her son and daughter-in-law. It's lonely without them as well.

A huge part of the sadness comes because our adorable little 6 year old neighbor at the lake had a malignant brain tumour removed last weekend and will be in chemotherapy and radiation treatments for months. It's really unbelievable that this could have happened to her, but she is blessed with the most smart, loving, giving parents and brother who ever existed. She has everything going for her; she's tough, happy, energetic and bright. But it's too quiet without them.

The couple who have the cabin up the hill from us haven't been at the lake very often over the past few months either. She's recovering from a recurrance of cancer but we hear she's doing very well. Our dogs miss their dogs.

Even though it's well below freezing today, there's a little something in the air that's hinting spring may be on its way soon. When the flora and fauna come back, we hope our neighbors can as well. It's lonely and quiet without them and we send them our thoughts and prayers daily.