Hello Again, and A Little Note

Hi Guys! This feels so long overdue and I don't know where to begin. But let me try. Last month, Tales from the Cusp marked its fourth birthday. Four unforgettable years of learning, sharing and creating. I really, deeply hope that you all had the same wonderful journey I've had so far, and I want to thank you for sticking around and supporting the blog all these years. Four or so years is usually the time, unfortunately, when many blogs put out a note telling readers, "This is our last post". This is not one of those posts.

If you haven't heard from me for months, it's because so much has happened and in many little ways and a few big ones, 2017 has been the most incredible year for a long time. I've had to take time to sort things out and find parts of myself that I had forgotten or was too scared to be. I'm sorry that is so vague. But to name a few things: I started painting, I made this short film, I turned 40 (!), and there's SO MUCH MORE.

Among some of the exciting things on the horizon is a new look for the blog. We've also got some new topics to dive into and lots and lots of new tales to tell. My hope is that 2018 (and beyond) turns out to be a happily productive year for us. So I guess that means it's time for me to get working!

I hope God blesses my plans, and all of yours. Thanks for reading, and waiting!

Much love,
Ina

The sage advice my mother gave me

It meant little then, until I became a mother. Then it meant everything.
BY INA AMOR MEJIA

As a young girl, I had a constant daydream about myself as a mother. I feel like I was born with the desire to have children, and my expectations of that looming destiny never waned. I even knew what sort of mother I would be. All of it hinged on an image of myself, babe in arms, with every hair in place, feeling serene and content. This had a lot to do with my mother, Annabelle.

A Birth and A Death

Eight years ago I gave birth to my son, and witnessed something I will never forget.
BY INA AMOR MEJIA

I don't tell this story. It's one of those things that you keep in the deep parts of your mind but never forget. I was at the hospital about to give birth to my son. It was day three and my amniotic fluid was running low, Jamon's movements were starting to hurt. The contractions were moderate but I wasn't dilating. I would end up having a C-section with my doctor doing two things---delivering my baby and removing a dermoid cyst that might have been there since I was born. But this story isn't about me or my son.

How to have a massage

Your therapist knows what she's doing, but do you? BY INA AMOR MEJIA

ACHEY MUSCLES, STUBBORN KNOTS. You're sitting at your desk trying to get some work done, but your body is yearning for a massage. I feel you. Over here, the usual scenario is I call Anna, my years-long massage therapist with magic hands. An hour or so of her signature dry shiatsu massage and I am fixed. Other days, my husband and I go on a massage date to our favourite Chinese reflexology place on the other side of town. Either way, it's the same massage, every single time. And every single time it works wonders. When you've found the right therapist or massage place, the rest is really up to you. Here are a few lessons I've learned on how to get the most out of your massage...

Coconut Oil: A Daily Habit

How to easily get the benefits of this superfood everyday.BY INA AMOR MEJIA

WHEN COCONUT OIL took the world by storm a few years ago, I remember feeling a bit of a fond indifference to the health trend. I'm from the Philippines, one of the world's largest producers of coconuts and its byproducts. So I thought awesome, finally, but also, tell me something I didn't know. I spent childhood weekends playing under those tall skinny trees, I grew up on food using coconut milk, and I knew the nutty scent of the oil by heart. The irony is, it was never really a conscious choice to make coconut oil a daily habit. 

Well that's changed, A LOT...