A recent visit to New Carlisle, Ohio led Steve "Gramps" Towler back to a place he hadn’t truly revisited in more than fifty years—not just an elementary school, but a memory that had quietly shaped how he viewed himself ever since. What began with a brand-new box of 64 Crayolas became something much deeper. Through a pivotal conversation with his Uncle Ronnie, Steve discovers that understanding the past isn't the same as making excuses for it. If you've ever found yourself looking back on your childhood with more judgment than compassion... if you've ever wondered why you reacted the way you did... perhaps this conversation is for you. Sometimes healing doesn't begin by changing what happened. Sometimes it begins by understanding the child who lived it.

#HopeWithinReach #ChildhoodHealing #HealingFromShame #Podcast

The 64 Crayolas

Last weekend I stood outside Park Layne Elementary in New Carlisle, Ohio — the school I walked into as a five-year-old, a new kid, a few weeks into the year, knowing no one. My friends caught it on their phone.

It's where a memory I've carried since kindergarten happened: a classmate got a brand new box of 64 Crayolas with the built-in sharpener. I asked to see them. Then I broke every single one.

I didn't understand why I did that until just recently.

The full story is coming — but tonight, I wanted to share this moment as it happened, standing right there where it started.

#HopeWithinReach

#The64Crayolas

#ChildhoodMemories

#ChildWound

#Healing

#Storytelling

#MakingAmends

#Podcast

A simple text message. A road trip. A treasured friendship.

When a longtime friend invited Steve "Gramps" Towler to join him on a spontaneous trip to Ohio, he didn't immediately say yes—but he's incredibly grateful that he did.

In this short, heartfelt episode, Steve reflects on the gift of lifelong friendships, making time for the people who matter most, and the joy of reconnecting after decades apart. Sometimes the moments we remember most begin with one unexpected invitation.

By the end, Steve leaves you with one simple but powerful question:

What would it look like for you to reach out to an old friend?

#HopeWithinReach #Friendship #OldFriends #Reconnect #Gratitude #Hope #Relationships #ChooseConnection

I was visiting my foster parents' farm, admiring the horses, when I felt something rubbing against my leg. I looked down... and there was a goat named Elliott. 🐐

Sometimes the moments that stay with us aren't the ones we planned. They're the unexpected reminders that joy, laughter, and hope often show up in ordinary places.

What's one unexpected moment that made your day?

🎙️ From the full episode: Hope, Heartbreak... and Elliott the Goat

❤️ Hope is closer than you think.

#HopeWithinReach #Podcast #Hope #Goats #Storytelling #MentalHealth #Inspiration

What if the moments that shape our lives are the ones we almost overlook?

In this heartfelt episode of Hope Within Reach, Steve "Gramps" Towler reflects on recent conversations, unexpected encounters, and everyday experiences that reminded him where hope is often found.

From listening to coworkers carrying unimaginable grief... to reconnecting with dear friends... to an unforgettable visit with a friendly goat named Elliot... each story points to a simple but powerful truth:

Hope rarely arrives with fireworks. More often, it quietly finds us in the ordinary moments of life.

If life has felt busy, heavy, or overwhelming, this episode is an invitation to slow down, notice the people around you, and rediscover the quiet places where hope has been waiting all along.

If this episode encourages you, would you share it with someone who might need a little hope today?

#HopeWithinReach

#ChooseHope

#RelationshipsMatter

#FindingHope

#BePresent

For years, I longed for something I didn't fully have growing up: family.

While stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, I walked to the very end of Pier 23 and made one of the most important phone calls of my life. I called Kathie's father and asked for permission to marry his daughter.

When he said yes, I immediately called Kathie.

And when she said yes...

That moment meant everything.

Sometimes a single "yes" can change the course of a life.

❤️

#HopeWithinReach #LoveStory #Marriage #Faith #Hope #NavyLife #Family #Shorts #Storytelling #Grace

Today marks 17,427 days sober. But the most important day in recovery isn't yesterday or tomorrow—it's today.

#Recovery #Sobriety #HopeWithinReach #MentalHealth #AddictionRecovery #Hope

Some stories of redemption feel too broken to come back from—until someone shows you what’s possible one day at a time.

In this deeply personal episode of Hope Within Reach, Steve "Gramps" Towler shares the story behind 17,427 days of sobriety—and the painful, beautiful journey that made those days possible.

From childhood trauma, foster care, loneliness, and addiction to recovery, faith, family, and healing, Steve opens up about the moments that nearly destroyed him, the people who helped carry him, and the hope that slowly rewrote his life.

You’ll hear about:

• Battling addiction as a child
• Attending his first AA meeting at just eleven years old
• The emotional struggles that continued even after getting sober
• The foster parents who introduced him to hope and faith
• Life aboard the USS Emory S. Land
• Falling in love from a Navy pier phone booth
• Becoming a father
• Discovering that healing rarely happens all at once

But this episode isn’t just about addiction and recovery.

It’s about what happens when wounded people stop hiding their pain.

It’s about grace.

About belonging.

About family.

About learning that your past does not get the final word.

Through honest storytelling and hard-earned wisdom, Steve reminds listeners that recovery is not built through perfection—but through daily surrender, honesty, faith, and willingness.

If you’ve ever struggled with loneliness, addiction, shame, trauma, or the feeling that your story was too damaged to redeem, this episode is for you.

Because no matter how dark life feels right now, no matter how far gone you think you are, hope is never out of reach.

Hope is always within reach.

The hospital was overcrowded with people who loved her…

And we didn’t even know she was there.

This is part of a much bigger story—one I’m still learning how to tell.

Sometimes the hardest truths are the ones we never saw coming.

If this resonates with you, follow along. There’s more to come.

The hospital was overcrowded with people who loved her…

And I remember thinking—

here’s a woman so many people showed up for…

but 23 years earlier…

she had walked away from us.

If this hit you… follow along. There’s more to this story.