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Michael Reed Rodgers, Jr.
March 9, 1978 - December 19, 2004
This memorial website was created in the memory of our son,
Michael Reed Rodgers, Jr.
He left behind two children - son, Michael Reed Rodgers lll
& daughter, Brenan Jane Rodgers, his mom & dad
( Mike & Brenda) - a brother, Troy - who was also his best friend,
& nephew, Trace and many family & friends, who miss him dearly.
Michael was a peacemaker & pureto the soul. He had a heart of gold
& loved everyone. He will be remembered not by his 'death' but
by the life he lived that so many of us admired. He is deeply
missed but is working hard alongside God to make
a place for us in Heaven.
*** WILL YOU BE THERE ? ***
** Michael's two children who miss him dearly **
Brenan Jane Rodgers & Michael Reed Rodgers lll
I said, "God, I hurt."
And God said, "I know."
I said, "I cry alot."
And God said, "That's why I gave you tears."
I said, "Life is so hard."
And God said, "That's why I gave you loved ones."
I said, "But my loved one died."
And God said, "So did mine."
I said, "It's such a great unbearable loss."
And God said, "I saw mine nailed to the cross."
I said, "But your Son lives."
And God said, "So does yours."
I said, "Where are they now?"
And God said, "My Son is by my side and your Angel is in my arms....."
 In Loving Memory
Michael Reed Rodgers, Jr.
March 9, 1978
  
The 'tree' on Sidewinder Rd. Nesbit, Ms.
Weird how it left an "M" on the tree.
~ Some things just aren't coincidental ~
The day everyone's heart broke into a thousand pieces
My heart still aches in sadness & secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you, No one will ever know.
" SAFE IN THE ARMS OF GOD"
Michael did his part on Earth to make a big
difference in the lives of MANY people.
He will be remembered for the Love we felt then, &
for the Love he still sends us from Heaven.
  Gotta Love The Hugs,
Aunt Deby
  *****************
"Perhaps they are not stars,
but holes in the sky
for them to shine on Earth"
*****************
Letter From Michael
( sent from his dear cousin, Stacey )
To my dearest family, some things I'd like to say...
but first of all, to let you know, that I arrived okay.
I'm writing this from heaven. Here I dwell with God above.
Here, there's no more tears of sadness; here is just eternal love.
Please do not be unhappy just because I'm out of sight.
Remember that I'm with you every morning, noon and night.
That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was through,
God picked me up and hugged me and He said, "I welcome you."
It's good to have you back again; you were missed while you were gone.
As for your dearest family, they'll be here later on.
I need you here badly; you're part of my plan.
There's so much that we have to do, to help our mortal man."
God gave me a list of things, that he wished for me to do.
And foremost on the list, was to watch and care for you.
And when you lie in bed at night, the day's chores put to flight.
God and I are closest to you....in the middle of the night.
When you think of my life on earth, and all those loving years
because you are only human, they are bound to bring you tears.
But do not be afraid to cry; it does relieve the pain.
Remember there would be no flowers, unless there was some rain.
I wish that I could tell you all that God has planned.
But if I were to tell you, you wouldn't understand.
But one thing is for certain, though my life on earth is o'er.
I'm closer to you now, than I ever was before.
There are many rocky roads ahead of you and many hills to climb;
but together we can do it by taking one day at a time.
It was always my philosophy and I'd like it for you too...
that as you give unto the world, the world will give to you.
If you can help somebody who's in sorrow and pain,
then you can say to God at night......"My day was not in vain."
And now I am contented....that my life has been worthwhile,
knowing as I passed along the way, I made somebody smile.
So if you meet somebody who is sad and feeling low,
just lend a hand to pick him up, as on your way you go.
When you're walking down the street, and you've got me on your mind;
I'm walking in your footsteps only half a step behind.
And when it's time for you to go.... from that body to be free,
remember you're not going.....you're coming here to me.
BROKEN CHAIN
WE LITTLE KNEW THAT MORNING THAT GOD
WAS GOING TO CALL YOUR NAME.
IN LIFE WE LOVED YOU DEARLY,
IN DEATH WE DO THE SAME. IT BROKE
OUR HEARTS TO LOSE YOU, YOU DID NOT GO
ALONE; FOR PART OF US WENT WITH YOU,
THE DAY GOD CALLED YOU HOME.
YOU LEFT PEACEFUL MEMORIES,
YOUR LOVE IS STILL OUR GUIDE;
AND THOUGH WE CANNOT SEE YOU,
YOU ARE ALWAYS AT OUR SIDE.
OUR FAMILY CHAIN IS BROKEN,
AND NOTHING SEEMS THE SAME;
BUT AS GOD CALLS US
ONE BY ONE, THE CHAIN
WILL LINK AGAIN.....
Love you more,
Stacey & Brittney
God looked around His garden and He found an empty place,
He then looked down upon this earth, and saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest,
God's garden must be beautiful, He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering, He knew you were in pain,
He knew that you would never get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough and the hills were hard to climb,
So He closed your weary eyelids, and whispered, " Peace be thine".
It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn't go alone,
For part of us went with you, the day God called you Home.
We miss you, uncle Michael
*** Elizabeth & Nic Nic ***
Miss you, Michelle
 
 "AND YOU !" Missing You Forever & Love You More,
Uncle Ronnie & Aunt Gay
 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see GOD"
Michael could have fun with anybody ~ even Carebear!
 
Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished, for one more day with you
One more day
One more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again
I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still, for one more day with you
First thing I'd do, is pray for time to crawl
Then I'd unplug the telephone
And keep the TV off
I'd hold you every second
Say a million I love you's
That's what I'd do, with one more day with you
Leave me wishing still, for one more day
Leave me wishing still, for one more day
By: Diamond Rio
In loving Memory of my dad
from your baby girl
If I could reach up and hold a star
for everytime you made me smile,
I'd have the entire night sky
in the palm of my hand
  Michael's first prayer he learned & said each night with his brother, Troy 
One smile for all, One heart of gold
One of the best this world could hold
Never selfish, always kind
What a beautiful memory to leave behind
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Things i will always miss /
~ mom ~
( )
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Well, I'm not sure I can even do this -- but here I go ....
* Michael ~~ most of all , I miss -- just Michael. Michael, himself. Michael on his good days, Michael on his bad days. He was soooo extraordinary. Soooo loving, and just grateful for who loved him & who HE loved. Michael loved everyone. And he loved with the deepest part of his heart. If he couldn't say something good about someone, he just didn't say it. When someone did something so bad that people would talk about it, he always gave a reason for that persons mistake. He would tell you, " but you just don't know what could've been in that persons mind to make them do such a thing -- but God does." Even when people would do something against HIM, it was like he tried to understand 'why' they did it. And he ALWAYS forgave them. Even if they didn't deserve to be forgiven, he forgave.
* His hugs .... he absolutely LOVED to hug & loved receiving hugs. He might see you everyday, but before he left, he would hug you & tell you he loved you -- as if it might be the last.
* His talks...he LOVED to talk. Sometimes about things that were bothering him , maybe things he needed advice on. And sometimes just talk about 'nothing'.
* His smile... he had the best smile. Because when he smiled, you knew he meant it. He NEVER had a fake smile.
*His work ... he took extra pride in his work. It had to be right, or he wasn't happy and would do it over.
* Seeing him with his kids... they were his prized possession. And you could see it in his eyes. He loved to cuddle with them, play games with them, sit around & just talk to them. He always wanted the best for them. He'd laugh sooo hard at things they would do & say.
* That little gesture -- where he would ease his head back & go 'ssss'... grinin'.
* Watching him 'primp' , when he was getting ready to hit the town ... especially when it was time to go see GABBY JOHNSON .... oh how he LOVED to see them in concert. And he thought it was sooo neat that he could go in his own hometown at LOVE'S Sportsbar & Grill. Oh, my ... that boy could primp! His hair had to be 'just right' ... his clothes had to look PERFECT.
* Watching he & Brenan 'snuggle' on the couch together -- she could sleep forever in his arms.
* Being able to tell lil michael to 'go-ask-your-dad' .. to ALL the questions he always asks. But .. he's just LIKE his dad -- oooo , how i remember ALL the questions YOU used to ask. I know they've all been answered for ya now, son. I'll be sooo glad to know them all myself.
* Making an extra dish of THANKSGIVING 'potato salad' & broccoli casserole WITHOUT ONIONS -- just for u. I know u always loved the big dinners , getting soooo full, you'd have to play basketball just to work it all off! That was the good old days, watching you, Troy and all your buddies out there working up a sweat. But, I know without a doubt you are already having a feast where you are and NEVER have to worry about that darned ole reflux. I am sooooo happy for you, son -- that you did your time on earth in just 26 short years but my heart is still broken up in soooo many pieces .... I simply can't wait til I set my eyes on you again. Seeing YOU and our loving GOD is what makes this life worthwhile.
* Pecan Pie -- seeing you "devour" pecan pie. You loved ALOT of filling, less pecans. :)
* Seeing your eyes glow -- your eyes could say a million words. It was as if you could look straight through us. Your dad still talks about one of the last 'talks' you two had, how you scared the hell out of him with the way you were looking at him when he was telling you how ' we never know when we might be taken out of this world' .
* Hearing you say "cold-di-cold." Of course, that is granmammy's saying in the wintertime & now baby Trace says it all the time. So, you see -- God still lets you live through others even though he took you away from us.
* Seeing how you'd react to baby Trace. Oh, my .... he is simply a jewel. And I KNOW he would've adored u. I sit back and think of the 'what if's' -- if you were here and playing with him & just watching him lay his head on your shoulders ( like he does paw paw )
how he just sits there hugging his paw paw for looong minutes. That would be a great sight.
Life is like a pencil being used everyday, because the lead in the pencil gets shorter everyday. And life is definately very short. All I do is spend my time wisely and try to have fun everyday. Because you never know when you could go.
There are many people that don't understand how important life is and they don't care if they die or not.
( this was taken from a paper Michael did in school when he was fourteen years old ) I found this in some of his school papers I had saved over the years. Little did I know = I would be ever so glad I treasured them on clean up days.
Michael loved life and loved everyone he met. He has a heart of gold that continues to shine , even from heaven.
 
 
MY CHILD
On the day God took you
I thought that I would die
I wondered where the time went?
I asked alot of whys??
With people all around me
I felt alone inside
From all their words of comfort,
I couldn't seem to hide,
I thought I might be dreaming
That I'd wake and find you here,
I thought "This can't be happening."
As I wiped another tear.
On the day that you were laid to rest
My heart broke yet again,
I wondered if the pain would end,
But mostly, I wondered when??
It's hard to be without you,
At times the days seem long,
Sometimes I just sit crying,
When there's really nothing wrong.
I wish we'd had more time,
Before your life was done.
I hope your resting peacefully,
My precious one
| We Thought He Walked On Water / ~ Mike ~ (dad) |
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He wore muscle shirts and a chain around his neck,
He worked hard everyday, you could hear his hammer peck.
He was gone on to be with Jesus even before he'd wrecked,
And we thought he walked on water.
You could tell he was special even when he was young,
He had lots of friends, he had lots of fun.
And he was Mike and Brenda's oldest son,
We thought that he walked on water.
He played Batman and Robin with his brother he loved,
He had two beautiful children that he thought the world of.
His mom and dad thought he wrote the book on love and
everyone would agree who knew him.
He was twenty-six years old, it was 12/19 of 04
He'd been out with some friends but God took him home once more.
And Lord how we cried that Sunday that he died,
Cause we thought that he walked on water.
And if the story's told, only Heaven knows
But his cap seemed to me like a gold halo,
And though his wings, they were never seen
We thought that he walked on water.
(written by: Mike Rodgers)
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Till we meet again /
Troy Rodgers
(PROUD to be his BROTHER)
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I grew up in a town called Frayser in Memphis Tennessee, with my brother Michael Rodgers. He, I must say has been the most influential person in my life. He was 15 months older than me and much more mature. Growing up he always did the right thing and hardly got into trouble. I was just the opposite, but I always looked up to him. He was my older brother and taught me almost everything.
We moved from Memphis to Hernando, Mississippi when I was in the 6th grade and Michael was in the 7th. We lost all of our friends and had to start over making new ones. It was hard at 1st but at least we had each other. We rarely argued, so we were great friends as well as brothers, and that helped out a lot. Before we knew it we both graduated high school and had more friends than we could have ever imagined.
Throughout my life, no1 was there as much as Michael. He was everywhere that I was and he led me every step of the way. Michael's personality and every1 of his traits were nothing short of remarkable. I thank GOD all the time that I've been blessed with such an awesome brother.
When we lost Michael in an accident, in December of 2004, I was completely devastated. A police officer called me that Sunday morning and was asking questions about my brother, and said that an officer was on the way over. I hung up and was confused, so I called his girlfriend, who he had been with the night before. She answered and was crying hysterically, so I asked, "what's going on"?? All she could say was, "Michael's dead" !! Those 2 words still ring in my head every day that goes by. They hit me like a ton of bricks and the whole world caved in on me. At that moment I completely lost it. It felt like my life had been taken right out of my chest. But as time went by and the pain 's l o w l y' started to heal, I began to see and understand the LIFE, and not the death, of Michael Reed Rodgers Jr.
I guess when you lose some1 you begin to reflect on their life and what it meant to you. You begin to see who that person really is and what makes them who they are. He lived his life almost to a tee the way that I think GOD wants us to. He never cursed or said anything bad about anyone, and if he couldn't find something good to say about some1 he just wouldn't say anything at all. He was well-mannered and treated every1 with more respect than they deserved.
When you lose some1, you also start thinking about the impact that that person had on your life. I must say he has made a bigger impact on my life than any1 else. With Michael gone I see how amazing he really was and try every day to be more like him in certain ways. He has been gone for 18 months now and I'm still learning from him. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about him and everything that he taught me.
***Thank you Michael for leaving me your intelligence and your love. You truly are the greatest brother I could possibly have throughout my life.
Thanks for everything!***
Sweet memories from the start
Always in my Heart
#12
" HE ONLY TOOK MY HAND "
Last night while I was trying to sleep; my son's voice I did hear. I opened my eyes and looked around but he did not appear. He said, "mom, you've got to listen. You've got to understand... GOD didn't take me from you, He only took my hand".
When I called out in pain that night, the instant that I died, He reached down and took my hand and pulled me to his side.
He pulled me up and saved me from the misery and pain. My body was hurt so badly inside I could never be the same.
My search is really over now, I've found happiness within. All the answers to my empty dreams and all that might have been.
I love you so and miss you so, and I'll always be nearby. My body's gone forever but my spirit did not die!
And so, you must go on now, Live one day at a time. Just understand ...
GOD did not take me from you, --- HE ONLY TOOK MY HAND ---
(unknown)
I'm Everywhere
Please don't mourn for me I'm still here,
though you don't see I'm right by your
side each night and day
And within your heart I long to stay
My body is gone but I'm always near
I'm everything you feel, see or hear
My spirit is free, but I'll never depart
As long as you keep me alive in your heart
I'll never wander out of your sight
I'm the brightest star on a summer night
I'll never be beyond your reach
I'm the warm moist sand when you're at the beach
I'm the colorful leaves when fall comes around
And the pure white snow that blankets the ground
I'm the beautiful flowers of which you're so fond
The clear cool water in a quiet pond
I'm the first bright blossom you'll see in spring
The first warm raindrop that April will bring
I'm the first ray of light when the sun starts to shine
And you'll see that the face in the moon is mine
When you start thinking there's no one to love you
You can talk to me through the Lord above you
I'll whisper my answer through the leaves on the trees
And you'll feel my presence in the soft summer breeze
I'm the hot salty tears that flow when you weep
And the beautiful dreams that come while you sleep
I'm the smile you see on a baby's face
Just look for me, I'm everyplace...
May God Bless You!!
Unknown
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IN LOVING MEMORY OF MICHAEL R RODGERS JR
MARCH 9, 1978 - DECEMBER 19, 2004
CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN
I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love
On cold wintery nights
I still share your hopes
And all of your cares
I'll even remind you
To please say your prayers
I just want to tell you
You still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders
Above all the crowd
Keep trying each moment
To stay in His grace
I came here before you
To help set your place
You don't have to be
Perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip
If you continue the climb
To my family and friends
Please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you
In a new special way
I love you all dearly
Now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year
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