给戴伦一次机会: How 酒窝琼斯 is turning tragedy into hope after the loss of her son
“I would describe Daylen as a kind and gentle giant, wise beyond his years. 他从来没有见过一个陌生人，”酒窝说. “Just a really great kid with an attentive spirit and genuine care for everyone he met whether for a short or long term.”
雷吉娜·豪厄尔小学的优等生, 社区里的运动员, a young mentor and a kind friend –– it was clear that 9-year-old Daylen’s future was bright.
“比如我的大儿子本, Daylen loved to play football and he would often tell his big brother Ben how he wanted to be better than him and he’d say, “我会比你更出名的, 等着瞧吧,'”酒窝回忆道. “这是他们特殊的兄弟情谊的一部分.” 
遗憾的是，戴伦没能读完四年级. 2018年12月, his life was cut short after an auto pedestrian accident –– a tragedy that rocked the Jones family to its core.
“A big piece of me went away when we lost Daylen because he was truly an awesome kid,酒窝说, 她的眼里现在充满了泪水. “He was such a joy to not only our household, but so many others as well.
Much to the Jones’ surprise, more than 1,000 visitors attended Daylen’s funeral. 老师, 教练, family and close friends gathered to share their stories of a selfless Daylen who dreamed big, 用心去爱，总是把别人放在自己之上.
“I didn’t actually realize that Daylen touched so many people until he passed away,酒窝说, recalling one moment when she recognized how special Daylen was not only to her family, 但对他们周围的人来说.
“Before I gave birth to Daylen, I was given three baby showers –– there were so many gifts. 从我客厅的前门一直到后墙, 有纪念他出生的礼物,”她说。. “戴伦死后, that same room that was once filled with gifts to celebrate him coming into the world was now filled with nothing but flowers to honor him leaving this world.”
而琼斯一家则在努力收拾残局, 他们从博蒙特社区的支持中找到了安慰.
In 2019, 博蒙特小运球队, 戴伦参加的当地篮球队, wore headbands with his name and the number nine stitched on the front to symbolize Daylen’s jersey number. 那一年, the team went on to win the championship game and gifted the Jones’ with a trophy and championship ring to remember their fallen teammate.
为了纪念他的仁慈, Regina Howell Elementary School dedicated its Kindness Rock Garden to Daylen’s memory and retired his No. 32 篮球 jersey, which now hangs in the foyer of the school, along with a No. 这条横幅也悬挂在学校体育馆.
The West Beaumont Bruins Little League Football players wore an angel wing patch on their jerseys along with a No. 他们头盔上的光环贴纸, 那是戴伦的球衣号码, 为了向他们的长期队友致敬.
“At every game, both before and after, the team would chant ‘One time for Daylen! 一次给戴伦，”小酒窝指着食指说. “It was their special chant that they did to signify that he was always with them.”
From book dedications and balloon releases to 篮球 camps and remembrance ceremonies –– the tributes to Daylen continued for months to come. 虽然, 就在他死后一年, 酒窝 decided it was time for their family to find their own way to continue Daylen’s legacy.
“My husband and I met a family that went through a similar tragedy of losing a young child. We shared stories about our grief journeys and that family had a close friend that wrote a book about their son,”她说。. “We purchased their book; read it and we immediately knew what we wanted to do.”
酒窝 reached out to author Anika Fontenette-Porter and shared stories of an imaginative Daylen who loved to dress in superhero costumes, 踢足球, 篮球, 棒球, soccer and traveling all while helping others and sharing his infectious personality.
2022年3月，《十大电子游艺网站排行》诞生了. 灵感来自于9岁的戴伦·约瑟夫·琼斯充满活力的生活, “给戴伦一次机会” was written to bring hope to those coping with the loss of a loved one. 拖着天使的翅膀, Daylen’s character takes the reader on his adventure of befriending a newcomer in heaven. 保持他善良和乐于助人的精神, 他向他的新朋友展示了天堂的可能性和希望, while also reflecting on some of his favorite memories of his own life. 
“这本书是对戴伦的生活和遗产的致敬, 继续讲述他的故事, with hopes that it will lead others toward understanding and give peace while dealing with grief,酒窝说. “It’s a story of hope, fun, kindness laughter, family, celebrations and friendship.”
The captivating tale is also paired with a grief workbook that 酒窝 and her husband Darrell consider a labor of love that they hold near and dear.
“当你悲伤的时候, 有时候你不知道该说什么, 怎么说呢，还是你不想和任何人说话,她承认道。. “The workbook is kid and adult-friendly with emojis and all sorts of creative pages for writing. 对于任何需要帮助表达失落的人来说，这确实是一个很好的工具.”
就目前而言, 《十大电子游艺网站排行》已经卖出了250多本, which also consists of 11 Beaumont Independent School District elementary schools that hold a total of 50 copies; One BISD middle school that has five books; Redeemer Lutheran Daycare, 戴伦去的日托所, that has 10 copies; and Discovery Learning Center, 有五本书. 也, “给戴伦一次机会” was featured and read on a live segment of “Tucked in Tuesdays” by LU alumna Dr. 贝琳达·乔治04年08年15年.
酒窝, who has worked at 十大电子游艺网站排行 in the College of Education and Human Development for more than 22 years, stated that the university recently purchased a copy of the book that now sits in the Mary and John Gray 图书馆.
现在, 戴伦死后四年, 酒窝 and Darrell continue pressing on and helping others in grieving the loss of loved ones. The pair often hands out grief baskets to those who have lost a young child or children who have lost a parent. 他们的使命? 讲述戴伦的故事，在悲剧中传递希望的信息.
“It’s funny because after Daylen’s passing, my son Ben said to me, ‘Mom, guess what? 戴伦现在比我更有名了，’我们对此一笑了之，”她说. “一开始, 我有点犹豫要不要讲我们的故事, 而是我们对戴伦的记忆, 回忆是讲述我们故事的特殊时刻. I just feel like our journey has purpose and that purpose is to keep Daylen’s legacy alive.”
《十大电子游艺网站排行》可以在 www.onetimefordaylen.com.