According to CBS News, every year an anonymous secret Santa wanders the streets handing out $100 bills to random strangers. He makes no judgment on who should receive his gifts and asks for nothing in return. In fact, he spends about $100,000 every year on his secret Santa mission, and this year a CBS news correspondent followed him around to see the results of his good deed.
One man who received the secret Santa’s gift this year is Thomas Coates, a heroin addict. Barely holding on to his wife and small son, he says he hasn’t worked in a year and recently sold his son’s toys to buy drugs. He didn’t think he deserved the gift of $100 from the secret Santa – but secret Santa disagreed.
Said the secret Santa: “I can tell you’re a good man.”
This one act of kindness inspired Coates. Rather than simply take the money and buy drugs, Coates decided to change his life. He couldn’t remember the last time someone referred to him as a good man or called him anything but a deadbeat; he wanted more for himself and, with the support of his wife who told him to pray, he was ready to make the necessary changes to become the man he wanted to be. He checked into a treatment center after his experience with the secret Santa and started down the path to a new life.
Says the secret Santa about Coates big changes: “Maybe that gave him the hope that he needs to break his addiction. And maybe that will be the turning point that will change his life and maybe he won’t go back. Wouldn’t that be worth it?”
As the secret Santa says: “We can change the world one random act of kindness at a time.”
What will you do this year to change your life or the life of someone else? Is it time to enroll in drug rehab or to begin the process of seeking out the treatment you need to leave drugs and alcohol behind forever? Is it time to stage an intervention for your addicted loved one and help them get the medical care they need to heal? If so, contact us today at Michael’s House here in southern California and learn how we can help you and your family to make 2012 your best year yet.
The post Carrying Over the Inspiration of the Holiday Season Into the New Year: A Secret Santa Influences Sobriety appeared first on Michael's House Treatment Centers.
