{"chapter_no":"9","chapter_title":"Blankets on a Cold Floor","book_id":"2","book_name":"The Story of James","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"244","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":2,"page_content":"

 <\/p>

Chapter 9<\/p>

Blankets on a Cold Floor<\/h1><\/p>

 <\/p>

Sarah <\/i>is traumatized by the accident—Her powerful example of a<\/i> Latter-day Saint<\/i> woman to her
daughters—<\/i>Shauna’s <\/i>shining<\/i> moment during the tragedy<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

After the return home from the hospital, Sarah lay down on the floor next to her children
on a makeshift bed of blankets. Although physically exhausted, she was unable to sleep; the
worry over James’s condition had kept her awake. She stared at the ceiling. The piano’s unusual
position by the front door was disturbing to her; the tragic event of recent hours had taken place
there, only a few feet away. The piano, and the big ordeal involved in trying to move it, had been
the root cause of the accident. She hated it.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Her eyes returned to the ceiling, her gaze fixed on the light fixture. The ceiling fan moved
slowly, making a slight noise as it circulated the furnace air around the living room. She worried
about James and wanted to do something. But what could she do? <\/p>

 <\/p>

After getting care for the deep cut to her face, Sarah had gone with Charles to greet Mr.
and Mrs. Hancock as they arrived at the hospital. Seeing the grief of James’s parents as they
heard the tragic news of their son was too much for her, almost causing her to faint. The sick
feeling was doubly unbearable—grief for the suffering of James and embarrassment for having
asked members of the Church to help move the piano in the first place. She stood in the shadows
of the dimly lit hallway near the emergency ward. As Charles spoke, she tried to keep herself
hidden from the conversation. She was afraid to talk or to otherwise draw attention to herself.
Her face was stoic and pale, yet she was full of compassion for James’s parents. This was the
worst day of her life.<\/p>

 <\/p>

The situation, however, would ultimately get better. Unbeknownst to her, she had done
much for James already. Her sweet nature as a mother, and the loving way she had cared for
James following the accident, had brought peace to him. He suffered through the pain, but her
presence there had helped to calm him. Those were moments he would remember all his life with
great fondness. James had no ill feelings towards her and didn’t blame her in any way for the
accident. He saw her only as a motherly figure providing comfort to him during those critical
moments. If only Sarah could have known!<\/p>

 <\/p>

She might have also taken heart in something else––the lessons learned on that eventful
day would have a great influence upon the lives of her children. As she attended to James, her <\/span><\/p>

two older daughters, Melanie and Tina, had come to assist, learning at their mother’s side how to
care for someone in need at a critical moment. A powerful lesson of the gospel in action had
been on display. She had taught her daughters what it was to be a Latter-day Saint woman<\/span>. <\/p>

 <\/p>

It's also worth mentioning that, as Sarah dispatched her two older girls for quick errands
during the emergency, a spot had opened up for someone very special to draw close to James.
And draw close was just exactly what that someone did. Shauna, Sarah’s two-year old daughter,
moved in to watch the events more closely. It was not possible for her to understand fully what
was going on, but she sensed pain, and that someone was crying. As she might do in patting the
head of a kitten or a tiny hamster, she bent down and gently patted James's head to give him
comfort. James had been conscious just enough to see her, feeling the touch of an angel upon his
head as if it were a priesthood blessing. In the ensuing moments, his body was filled with
warmth by the Comforter. This gave him hope, reminding him of why he had been there on that
cold winter night and who he was serving. He knew he was safely in the hands of the Lord.<\/p>"}