Carol Bolden with Ted Williams – Arkansas Valley, Colorado … Sabbath, August 13, dawned bright and clear with the promise of a wonderful and blessed Sabbath at the Arkansas Valley church. It was the day that the family of Forrestine Odell would pick her up at her care facility and take her to church. A wonderful pianist, she was looking forward to playing the upstairs piano one more time, a long-time dream. Having turned 100 on May 20, she wanted to play Happy Birthday on the church piano.
Forrestine Odell was born and raised in Las Animas and is a charter member of the Arkansas Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church. She lives at Bent County HealthCare Center and gets around using a wheelchair. Pastor Ted Williams, having called on her several times, coordinated with the family for her special day at church.
After the church service, she took the elevator upstairs where she played the piano while other members sang happy birthday for the August birthdays. They all had a good time celebrating, but when it was time to leave, she discovered that someone else had tried to use the elevator and got stuck on the way up, making it no longer operable. Now she was stuck. What was to be done? While most others could exit using the stairs, taking a wheelchair down the stairs was not possible.
So, they called 911. The rescue volunteers who arrived were extremely helpful, lifting her into a special chair to carry her down the stairs. She handled it with aplomb, grinning all the way. Her dream came true with a very unexpected twist. All in all, it was a wonderful and blessed Sabbath. And, no worries, the person stuck in the elevator was also rescued.
–Carol Bolden with Ted Williams. Photo supplied
