Follow-up to Name Change

The other day I wrote "Name Change" and couldn't really put into words how the family who was so greatly impacted by Erik felt. Well, this morning, Phillip, wrote a note on Facebook. Kyle and I couldn't be more touched by his words.

Here's his note...

"I'm going to break the silence on why me and Tonya can't wait till Monday. When she was pregnant with Lane, we had bounced the idea of naming Lane, Erik Lane Hodges instead of Nathan Lane Hodges, the reason for this is...On 11-15-09, I ran a call that would change my life forever and I've had a hard time dealing with it. Waking up each morning wondering if there was something that I could have done different, or if there were more that I could have done. And I feel that I let a Mom, Dad and two sisters down because now they will never have their son/big brother in their lives. I kept it bottled up for too long and in the last few weeks I started talking to someone I have known for years and have became friends with her now. We have swapped stories on how we both feel about that tragic day when I got to meet her sweet little angel. Through all of the talking, I mentioned to her that we had thought about naming Lane, Erik Lane instead of Nathan Lane, but felt that someone would have gotten mad or upset. And due to the tragic events still being too fresh in everyone's mind we just let it pass us by. Well she said to me it would have been a honor for us to name our son after her only son. Tonya and I have still been talking about it, and wishing we had, so I decided to go knock on her door and ask her & her husband if we could still name our son Erik Lane Hodges, and they told me it would be a honor. So on Monday, the 9th of this month, we will start the process. The one thing I have learned through all of this is, I'm not made of stone and grown men do cry, but I'm glad that my son will have the name of an angel. Because that one day in the short time that I got to meet Samuel "Erik" Quarles, he touched my life in so many different ways, and he will forever be in my heart!"

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Phillip & Tonya!!