Posted on September 4th, 2022

That was the caption on the button with the skeptical little baby pictured here, ordered by a new customer, T.H. for the 50th birthday of a woman who'd grown up to be somewhat permanently disgruntled. While he was in my office waiting for the 20 buttons he ordered for his customer, I asked him about his advertising specialty business, and how he got started! He told me that his father was in the business, and that he loved motorcycles-- riding them, building them, everything about them. So I asked him if he knew my friend Mike D.,who had a business building custom bikes. "Mike D.? He was my business partner in our custom motorcycle shop, Suicide Jack! How do you know Mike D.?"

Because TH told me he knew Mike D. really well, I replied that I knew Mike from recovery, and then TH told me he was in recovery too, celebrating 40 years this January 1 . Well what a small world! That was a happy story for me--- but wait! That's not the end of it! Not by a long shot! The next night I got a phone call from Mike D., whom I hadn't seen or talked to in many years! I said to him, Wow--- news travels fast! And he said, "What do you mean?" And I said, "Didn't you just talk to your old business partner TH? Didn't he tell you that we just met?" Well Mike replied, "Heck no! I haven't talked with TH for over 5 years! I'm calling you to place a button order, for a guy in the program." So I told him about my very recent meeting with TH, and we both agreed it was quite a big coincidence that Mike should be calling me the very next day! And then I told Mike I would be telling my recovery story this Thursday at the St. Stephen's beginners meeting-- and that if he came to hear me, I'd give him a button1 I asked what button he would like, and without missing a beat he said, I want "My inner child is a mean li'l f--ker" and I said, well Mike, I don't have that button in my line, so he said OK, you pick me out a button.

So that Thursday, sure enough, Mike was there, and I told my recovery story, which includes my button story, and it was a big success! The topic I chose for the discussion was "How has God been active in your life?" At the end, I announced that I had brought a bag of my buttons, and I wanted everyone to come up and get a button, but to not look at if first. Your Higher Power, I said, will pick out the perfect button for you! And, I added, I'd like Mike D. to come up to pick out the first button, because I promised him one if he came to the meeting. So Mike came up and got his button, and then he told the whole group the button he'd asked for, and then announced the button he got, which was "Have you hugged your inner child today?" And not only that, the button matched perfectly the colors in the shirt he was wearing! And, as it turned out, not by coincidence, everyone else got the perfect button they were supposed to have! It works every time!