About the Book

During a time when my husband and I were struggling with the demanding needs of our developmentally challenged son we were blessed with a neighbor who provided our family with great moral support. The attention she gave our three children were to her just small, incidental acts of service, but to them these acts of kindness were quite impressionable. As her relationship with our family grew, the humble, Christlike attitude of this remarkable woman became so apparent that even our daughter (then age 4) noted, “Jesus must be a lot like Bella.”

Compiling these accounts into a book required little thought and imagination since all of the interaction between our daughter, Katie, and Bella are basically true. During the time I was putting my thoughts for this book in writing, my father passed away unexpectedly and once again, our neighbor was a source of emotional support. The title, All You Want and Then Some, was a phrase my dad frequently used when referring to the volume of food at the dinner table, his supply of duct tape, rope, baling wire, Old Spice aftershave and anything else he kept in excessive quantity. I wanted to remember him in my first publication and this phrase, which he never delivered with any spiritual meaning, made the connection I was looking for between Bella and Christ: our Lord faithfully provides for our needs, and because He is a loving and generous God, is eager to satisfy some of our wants as well - even if it’s just squishy marshmallows that float. His blessings are abundant!