A Toxic Playground 'This Is My Story'

‘If You Played In My Playground’

Discovering inner peace, uplifting happiness, and life’s true calling, seems like a child’s fairytale. We waste much time riding life’s merry-go-round by seeking what already exists in our hearts because we’ve been wronged somehow, by someone.

Author, mentor, and entrepreneur, Elizabeth Correia, has shown that it takes faith, forgiveness and a courageous spirit to survive a life filled with physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological turmoil. She has overcome many threatening obstacles including a brain tumour surgery in December 2011.

A journey that began with an abusive family living in one of Toronto’s roughest neighborhoods, has taken her from playing in toxic playgrounds and the streets of Toronto to generously providing hope and healing to troubled teens, and Toronto’s homeless.

She courageously shares a painfully and engagingly documented story through her memoir If You Played In My Playground. After years of writing and healing, Elizabeth will launch her book and tell her story to over 200 people at the Book Release & Intimate Soiree event being held at The Vue, located at 195 Galaxy Blvd., Toronto, ON, Thursday May 31st from 6pm to 12pm.

The event will honor some very special young girls who have been sponsored through The Safe Spaces program and have traveled from some of Africa’s most impoverished regions. They will share their testimonies, as well as their experience in Toronto. The event will empower and inspire women to achieve their dreams, while providing a night filled with local entertainment, food, spoken word, and a book signing by Elizabeth. Proceeds from the book sales will be donated to UNIQUE, a program for young teens.
We invite you to purchase tickets to an event that is sure to leave a lasting impression on how you observe yourself and other women.

Join us on May 31st. After all, you deserve it.
Please visit www.devainyou.blogspot.com  and purchase your tickets today via PayPal or by sending a money email transfer to elizabeth@devainyou.com


There are about 10 tickets left :-)

Learn To Live By Faith!

We live by faith, not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7

I am about to head out the door for my (late) morning walk. But before i do so, I wanted to share some words from my heart. As it is my heart that's speaking.

Having come from the projects in downtown Toronto, I grew up not having much faith. I guess we can say it all started at home with dad. My trust and faith in people was crushed at an early age. However my Vuvo (grandmother) instilled the word of God in my life so that I may grow up and learn to depend on Gods word for strength, hope and encouragement. Although it took many years for me to "Get It" I got it.

Prior to my brain surgery there were many days I struggled to make ends meet. This has been the story of my life for many years. I chose to sell drugs and hustle for a means of money for most of my teen and early adult years. So obviously God was not going to make it easy. But, I have never gone without a comfortable home / roof over my head, food on the table and descent clothes for us all (my family) to wear. I have for the most part always had a vehicle and my children had everything the "needed" (not wanted). But since the surgery my faith in God has multiplied. Just weeks prior to that day in December (December 26 2011) the Lord led me to an awesome man of God, my Pastor (Bobby Sommers & his wife) who inspired more of Gods faith in me then I have ever had. Ever. Why? Because this time, I was led to The Truth. To love. I have This time I was desperate and hungry.

My prayers are different. More passionate. More fulfilling. And what I pray for comes to pass. Yes. That's right Faith sees ahead as if it were today. It sees the answer in the word of God. I don't and never have prayed for grocery money or money to pay the bills etc I pray and ask God to bless me according to His will. The only way faith comes is by believing, hearing and acting on God's Word. There is no other way for me. I tried it "the world's way" and it doesn't work for me.

I have let go of  IT ALL!! God knows my heart and sees ME! He sees you. So when I pray I give Him all of me and He knows this. I ask Him everyday to mold me...I desire Him as the author of my life. After-all He owns me! He had the power to do what so ever He desired with my life- December 26 2011 He chose to give me my life BACK! Please don't get it twisted GOD ALONE did this.

In the past few months many doors have been opening for me. I do not BOAST about this. I am humbled by this. Truly. Showing off has never been my thing. I am nothing but a speck of dust. I give all the glory to God. Because if i dare step out of line it will all be taken. I have been sending seed-faith gifts into my life, my journey, street ministry, purpose and calling on my life, and I am not asking for the harvest I need. I am EXPECTING IT! It is already done. Period.

Have a prosperous and blessed week.

Sealed with LOVE!

Ms.Liz

Renewing Our Minds....

Good morning ladies, this message is for my ladies. And if you are a man and reading this maybe you can share it with you lovely lady.

As I went on my morning walk this morning God put a message in my heart. I started to think of "what exactly a mindful woman is." It is a great privilege to me to have the opportunity to explore what so many of us women yearn for in our hearts but easily loose sight of  because of how crazy our world can get each day.

As woman we crave a peace of mind, we desire to have an open and peaceful heart. We want a sense of balance and purpose. We want to replace our fear with joy and we are desperate to love ourselves as deeply as we do others. We want to feel fulfilled and know that we matter.

Can transforming our minds to live mindfully grant us all our hearts desires? Well, I believe so. I know that personally I feel a lot more peaceful and balanced since discovering the practice of mindfulness. I am sure my recent brain surgery that nearly took my life came into play here. But I will also give credit to the level of my maturity. Is maturity an "age" thing? No not necessarily. I am just passionate about my commitment to increase mindfulness within me.

Why am I focused on typing this blog this morning? Well, I personally provide a great example of doing too many things at once (especially prior to surgery) and then becoming absentminded. We are busy doing five things while trying to focus on one! Like checking our emails and then suddenly stopping half-way through to wipe down the computer desk, along with the keyboard and then the chair and the screen....all of a sudden we are wiping down the legs of the chair because we are noticing specks of dust everywhere. We totally forgot about the emails we need to send out or return. If this sounds anything like you, then yes this message is for you.

These habits cause us to have restless sleeps at night. We become over-committed and tired, mentally. Resentful with the family and co-workers. We desire to change the world and want to do it five steps at a time instead of ONE. Most of us know that these behaviors result in poor health, damaged relationships, bad choices and negative work environments, to name a few affects.

Awareness is the step in making an empowering change. Having the knowledge and knowing that mindlessness creates stress, we can choose to take on mindfulness. Which takes us in the moment and places us in the reality of now. When we are not living our lives in "the now," there is no place for peace and balance to be rooted from. "Now" is when we can feel that we truly exist.

Why mindfulness......?
Being mindful is truly being alive! Mindfulness allows us to be present to our authentic self.
Mindfulness adds value and meaning to life. Mindfulness brings out the best in us. Mindfulness brings peace and joy.. Mindfulness brings gratitude. Mindfulness helps us to make healthy choices. Mindfulness helps us to love others more deeply but above all it helps us to love ourselves authentically. Mindfulness is being present to here and now. Mindfulness is simplifying your everyday life.

The benefits that come from practicing a mindful living make us as woman; happier from the inside, passionate about our lives, relaxed and fulfilled women.

After taking a Landmark course (again) just weeks after my surgery I was able to come back to the foundation of what I had somewhat lost along the way..after completing my courses there the first time, a year and a half ago, there was a very valuable message my forum leader shared with us; Awareness is the first step for both inner and outer change.

I realized that in order to treat myself with consistent love and compassion, I needed to wake up to what was happening in and around me. I knew that in order for me to do this I needed to begin with awareness. Without awareness my choices are limited and it becomes way to easy to get caught up in old habits over and over again.

Today, I want you to look yourself in the mirror (please do it) and say, " Today I chose to be a mindful woman. I gently and humbly chose to change my attitude and actions towards myself and others that are not loving and appropriate. Today I promise to appreciate the beauty around me and to remember to thank God for it. I promise myself to take moments to stop, look and feel. From this day forward I will celebrate all-of-me in order for me to teach others how to appreciate me. I love myself...I love myself. Today is a new day."


Sealed with LOVE,

Elizabeth Correia