Bettina Obernuefemann was born in Germany during World War II. She presently lives in north central Arkansas on a 130-acre property called Harmony Hills located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. She and her husband Michael have a dream of turning the property into a wildlife sanctuary and vacation retreat. In 2003, she retired from a 38-year year flying career as a flight attendant.

Bettina lived most of her life in fear, but in 1985 she began to turn her life around. At that time, she was guided to her spiritual name, “Sparkles.” The name has served to remind her to honor her Inner Spark of God and to live her purpose in life: to shine and sparkle God’s love here on earth.

After retiring, Sparkles devoted her free time to writing, a creative effort of blending her love for flying and her dedication to recovery and spirituality.

She said, “I started to look at all my false beliefs about myself and the world. After much soul searching, I recalled the ancient healing philosophy, “Know They Self.” I’ve adopted this philosophy and using airline terminology, I call this concept, Putting On My Own Oxygen Mask First, Before Assisting Others. This approach has helped me to reclaim my inner child.”
 
Sparkles first major writing project is her own personal story which she has turned into a provocative new book, “Flying with God, Putting On a Happy Face: A Flight Attendant Memoir.” Part One begins in the chaotic, terrifying atmosphere of World War II Germany. She writes of having been raised by a domineering mother and a passive father.

The saga continues with her family’s journey to the New World with many moves across Canada and the United States. Sparkles shares her dysfunctional upbringing with readers and reveals how she always felt like an outsider, and later, how looking for love in all the wrong places got her into trouble.  

“Some people who are chronically unhappy may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress disorders,” said Sparkles, “the cause of the unhappiness and the inability to move out of it may not be apparent. In my case, the trauma  came from child abuse and war wounds.”

In Sparkles’ book, readers will learn how to use the 3 R’s as healing tools:

Recognize your problems.                                            
Release the past with a recovery program that uses forgiveness.
Replace emptiness with peace of mind, and see through God’s eyes.

All obstacles become opportunities to heal.

In Part Two of “Flying with God,” Sparkles takes us on a nostalgic look at her early days of flying. She recounts many first hand behind the scenes experiences, and answers many questions travelers have asked over the years including “Do you ever get scared?” “Do you like your job?” and “Have you had any famous people on board?”

Capt. Austin Bates, retired airline pilot said, “Once I began reading “Flying with God,” I could not put it down. It’s a lovely little book. I am passing it along to my daughter who is a Delta Flight Attendant.”

B Korn of Norfork, Arkansas, said “As I read your book, I felt like you were an old friend who told me her story and trusted me with secrets.”

Send $22.00 for a sample copy of “Flying with God” to Harmony Hills Press, PO Box 254, Norfolk, AR 72658 or call 1-877-202-1940. You can also order and get more information online on the author’s  web site at http://www.BettinaSparkles.com. Dealer and wholesale inquiries are invited.