"Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can." -- John WesleyIn November, millionaire businessman Larry Stewart revealed he was the Secret Santa who had gone out each December and gave away money anonymously to strangers whom he felt looked in need. After 26 years of keeping his secret, he felt compelled to speak up because time had become measured by a cancer diagnosis, and before he left this world, he wanted to speak publicly about the act of giving, hoping to inspire others to give.
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -- Dalai Lama
When finally revealing the mysterious identity of the Secret Santa many in Missouri and elsewhere had wondered about for 26 years, Stewart explained how it all began. He did not start out rich, and his kind generosity came at a time when he could afford it least. We share his story in Secret Santa who gave away millions finally reveals identity, about a cold winter night, an unemployed salesman and a drive-in restaurant car hop without a coat.
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -- Aesop
While Stewart told his story, he shared that he began giving simple gifts of money to strangers each year during the month most attributed to miracles "because it was something people did not have to beg for, get in line for, or apply for."
With deep sadness for a true loss to this world, it has been reported that Stewart lost his battle with esophageal cancer on Friday.
"The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth." -- Albert Einstein.
In his humble kind acts of giving, Larry Stewart was, and will remain forever, the embodiment of kindness, and the beauty and truth of the potential best in each of us. Stewart was 58.










