ShareThisCalls it “A Celebration of Life”
By Yoly T. Tubalinal
Niles, IL. Fresh from her recent Philippine vacation, Lydia Rhoton summoned her Chicago family and friends to a dinner at Lone Tree Manor in Niles, IL on December 1st to celebrate the 1st anniversary of her husband Don Rhoton’s passing.
“Don isn’t dead, rather, he’s alive with our Almighty God in heaven,” she said of her husband. She explained that when God calls you home, your last breath here on earth will be your first breath in heaven with our Lord. Lydia’s deep faith in God has made it easier for her to bear the loss of her husband, with whom she shared more than two decades of pure marital bliss. She recalled the many happy times she and Don spent together, his endearing ways and his unwavering love for her.
It was a program steep in spiritual exercise with songs of praises sung with gusto by all those who came to remember Don and support Lydia. God’s message was delivered by invited pastors after a video collage of Don and Lydia’s life together was shown, some of which were featured on this page.
Closing her tribute to Don, Lydia reminded everyone that heaven is all love, joy, all peace, all worship, all glory, all beauty, all wholeness, all beyond imagining, all forever! “Heaven is the undiluted presence of God, and he is inviting you to join him there for all eternity,” she continued and ended with an emphatic, “Heaven is my choice. I hope it is yours too.,”
Lydia distributed gifts of Bible and DVDs about the life of Jesus Christ to her guests as a token of her appreciation for their presence.
These select photos captured fond memories of a life Lydia shared in all its fullness with her beloved and the nicest husband one can ever have, Don Rhoton.