A Grand & Gracious Spirit

Doris Barksdale passed on Wednesday. I was surprised to learn that she was seventy-seven years old. She had such a lively spirit!

Employed by the Carolina Hurricanes, Doris held various titles, but her key role was in-house motivational consultant - an on-call life coach. (wral.com - Long-time Canes Motivator Dies)

How did an African American woman from Georgia (by way of Detroit) become a confidant and counselor to hockey players? The answer: Doris had a grand and gracious spirit. A mutual friend described her today as "such an authentic and compassionate person."

I served with Doris on the board of the Hurricanes’ Kids ‘N Community Foundation. She addressed the Bulls staff several years ago on “customer service from the heart” and more recently she spoke to our United Way contributors. I’m grateful that the Canes shared Doris with us.

She published a book of poems in 1999. These lines are from the very last page:

Thoughts and Reality

You create…

your thoughts.

Your thoughts…

create your intentions.

Your intentions…

create your actions.

and

Your actions…

determine your reality.