He Has Made Me Glad

This morning I woke up and I made a cup of warm golden milk since we’re dealing with a cold snap here in Texas. I realize that if you live in places like Minnesota, you are laughing at what I consider cold weather after living in Texas for the past 23 years.

However, it’s no laughing matter when your pipes can freeze.

You see, in Minnesota (or Michigan or other northern climes) they build houses with basements and they bury their pipes. This is because they know it’s going to get cold. Here in Texas, it’s rare that we get a freeze hard enough to freeze the pipes.

To cope with it, I get the faucets dripping before I go to bed and make sure the cabinet doors under my sinks are open with warm air blowing on the pipes.

When I got up this morning, I immediately made the golden milk (it was cold and I craved something warm, sweet, and flavorful.

My routine these days is to have my quiet time with my morning drink. Most days I made a cup of either matcha green tea or Earl Grey, but after today, Golden Milk is now in the roster. (For a recipe, look to the bottom of this article.)

During my quiet time I read in the book of Psalms.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. — Psalms 100:4–5 (NIV)

And I thought — I should enter his courts with thanksgiving and praise.

And I remembered a song that gave me joy everytime I heard it:

He Has Made Me Glad — Maranatha Singers

And I found myself singing along, and suddenly, I felt joy as I sang “He has made me glad, O He has made me glad, I will rejoice that He has made me glad”.

This is something I needed to hear and sing and marinate in.

Because He HAS made me glad.

I can sing along with this song despite fighting stage IV metastatic cancer.

This may seem nuts — how can I, while going through chemo that makes me nauseous several times a day, that makes me feel fatigued for most of each day, that makes it hard for me to function — still say with total sincerity that He has made me glad?

Yet I do because when I seek His presence before the rest of the house is awake, I feel close to Him.

And He is so loving and kind, I cannot help but feel joy.

I don’t just share my joy, but also complain about all the trials I am facing. I ask Him to heal me completely so I never have to go through cancer again. I ask Him to bless my Mom and give her a long life. I lift up my friends to Him as I feel led to do so. I even ask God to bless my brother though I know he hates me.

By the time I am done, I feel clean and energized.

I re-commit to continuing to practice the healthy habits I need to beat this cancer and to live many more years cancer free.

One thing I now have added to my cancer-beating recipes is Golden Milk, though this is a misnomer.

It’s not made with actual milk, but with almond milk.

To make it I use a cup of almond milk to which I add a teaspoon of turmeric powder, as well as 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, a sprinkle of ground cloves and cardamom, and several grinds of my pepper grinder. The pepper helps activate the curcumin in the turmeric. I also add a 1/2 tablespoon of humanely harvested local honey.

Curcumin is supposedly a powerful anticarcinogen. Matcha green tea is also supposedly a strong fighter against cancer. The Earl Grey — that is pure pleasure and helps on days when I feel like I’m dragging.

I’ve had to give up coffee because it’s horrible for my stomach, and I am already throwing up too much. Plus it also dehydrates. This is why I now avoid caffeine and alcohol is forbidden.

In order to fight the cancer, I need to be hydrated, and to feel empowered. The mind/body connection plays an important role. If I feel optimistic, energetic, and certain I can emerge victorious and healthy — then I will get the best resuls.

Praying helps me connect to a God that I KNOW loves me and wants the best for me. Some day I will know why He allowed me to get cancer. At that point, it won’t matter, because I will be in His presence and will know only Joy.

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This post was previously published on Shefali O’Hara’s blog.

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