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December 8, 2019 will be a day that will go down in the history books for the congregation of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Penryn, PA.

While I know that church and religion is not everyone’s thing this day in age, I sincerely hope that you will continue to read this post because I’m incredibly excited to share what made yesterday such a monumental moment.

I’ve been a member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Penryn since 1995…which is crazy. That is 24 years. It is quite amazing how quick the time flies.

I’m pretty sure that I’ve been the Music Director since 2009; however, don’t quote me on that because I’m not very good with dates. I might need my Mama Welliver to officially fact check that for me!

Even in the 24 years I’ve been a member, I’ve seen the church go through a lot of change–mostly different Pastors and leaders that caused some difficulty for stability and growth.

And through these changes, there were even discussions of closing our doors–something that had every member of the congregation feeling emotional.

Then, in September of 2017, we had the opportunity to be the guinea pig congregation for something new that the Synod was “trial and erroring” and were paired up with a seminary student, Angie Hammer.

It was our saving grace–the answer to our prayers. The stability that we had been looking for to help with our growth and showing others in the community that we are here and ready to share our God given talents with everyone. And as we move forward in our convenant agreement with Angie that will occur over the next 3 years, the excitement inside my soul only grows.

Angie has challenged us to look inside ourselves and to really think about how we can each use our talents to encourage growth, love, and kindness within our church family and all people that visit to share in our worship experience.

And amongst all that has been happening in these past two years with Angie, one of the conversations that our congregation started to explore was something that we call “Reconciling in Christ.”

The Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Program is for congregations, synods, colleges, seminaries, and other Lutheran organizations and ministry communities who have made a public commitment to welcome, include an celebrate people of all walks of live regardless of sexuality orientation and identity, mental ability, social status, religion, or ethnicity.

Today, December 8, 2019, our faithful church in the small town of Penryn was moved by the Holy Spirit and did something amazing.

The following is the public declaration that we made as the faith community of St. Paul:

“As a Reconciled in Christ Congregation, Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Penryn, welcomes ALL God’s people, embracing differences of age, race, ethnicity, physical or mental abilities, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or economic status. We recognize that we are all children of God, whose differences are Reconciled in Christ.”

While this may sound like a simple sentence, it is so much more than that. It is something that makes me so emotional inside with unwavering faith and joy.

As the congregation prepared their ballots for voting, I sat in the front pew with baited breath waiting for the results and praying that this congregation would be prepared to move forward.

And when Glenn walked to the microphone to announce that 92% had voted in favor of becoming a Reconciling in Christ church, I cried. I sat there in the front pew and cried like a baby. There were lots of tears shed and hugs. I’ve never seen Vicar Angie cry…but today I witnessed those tears.

We are welcoming to ALL.

We are welcoming to ALL regardless of what they are going through in their lives.

We are welcoming to ALL regardless of the darkness that they may be experiencing in their lives.

We, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Penryn, are welcoming to ALL.

As you read this, I realize that it might not seem like a lot to you; however, it is a HUGE monumental moment for our church and the community around us.

There are no ELCA Lutheran churches in Lancaster County that are Reconciling in Christ. The closest one is Middletown.

So, here’s to new possibilities and a future full of love, kindness, and open arms to everyone.

If you are someone or know someone who is struggling and is looking for a church home to worship freely and feel the spirit and be welcome with open arms, come to St. Paul, Penryn.

ALL. ARE. WELCOME.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

 

 

Happy Monday, all!

I hope that everyone was able to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday with both family and friends and that the cravings of cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, turkey, and mashed potatoes were satisfied to the max.

I don’t know about you; however, it is quite near impossible for me to believe that it is the second day of the last month of 2019!

Like seriously, though. Where in the name of Mike has the time gone this year?!

It is absolutely insane to think that we will be celebrating one of the biggest holidays in just a few weeks and shortly after that welcoming in 2020.

And speaking of the new year, that brings me to this week’s post.

The new year always brings about the entity that we call “resolutions.” It always seems to be the standard when we begin “anew” and try to welcome in a brand new year with the idea of wanting to improve both ourselves and our lives.

In fact, when you Google the term “New Year’s Resolution” (or at least when I Googled it tonight), I got the below definition:

-A person who vows to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life.

And this year, I’m getting all my ducks in a row with my resolutions way before 2020 shows its face.

Want the full debrief? Well, read on!

Here are just a few of my personal 2020 resolutions that will help to re-discover Mr. Sunshine!

1. De-activate social media–This is one that I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time; however, I’ve never fully followed through with it. This will occur shortly after the beginning of the year for at least a 3-6 month period. I often find this form of media distracting to me along with being a breeding ground for feelings of jealousy and quite frankly, I don’t need that crap surrounding me and in order to move on and learn more about myself, I need to get rid of the distraction. I’ll be back at some point in 2020…just not sure when.

2. Hit desired weight–The removal of social media from my life will help me to really focus on this goal for myself. Fitness is something that has become a staple and passion of mine for the past couple of years and 2020 will be the year to finally hit my desired weight with my fitness goal. So, when I return to social media, you might not even recognize Mr. Sunshine. Say what?!

3. Try a vegan diet for at least 30 days–This is definitely something that will prove to be a challenge for me, especially because I’m a huge fan of every food that is bad for me. A huge thank you to my friend, Taylor who has given me a full guide on brands and items that I can find in local grocery stores to assist with this personal challenge for myself.

4. Work on tithing–Personally, this is not something that I’ve ever been good at, so 2020 is the year to finally hold myself accountable.

5. Organize the entire house and minimalize–It’s time for me to officially Marie Kondo my entire house…room by room…inch by inch. Quite the task and while I’m sure it will take several months, I’m excited for the potential positive energy that will result from finally making it happen.

6. Get a tatoo–Ever since turning 32, this was something that I’ve had on my mind. As I work to re-discover Mr. Sunshine and really define my core values and passions, a symbol of what that means for me is something that I would like to get on my body. Suggestions of where to get this accomplished once I make that decision are certainly welcome!

7. Mr. Sunshine surprise #1–You didn’t think I would leave you hanging without a surprise reveal in the new year did you?! The first one will come shortly after the year (as long as everything works out with it), so stay tuned and keep an eye out for more details!

8. Mr. Sunshine surprise #2–That’s right…not one, but two! While details of this one are also still in the making, it is something that my heart is incredibly excited and while thinking about how to change the world in 2020, it was something that just fell into my lap. So, that also means stay tuned for more details!

Well, there you have it.

The 2020 year for Mr. Sunshine in a nutshell.

Well a couple of nutshells.

A year of excitement, mystery, re-discovering, re-imagining, evolving, and surprises!

2019 has been an incredible year…but it’s time for me to refocus on myself for a bit of time before I work to continue on changing the world just a wee little bit at a time.

So, stay alert and on guard because the re-discovery of Mr. Sunshine takes full swing in just a few, short weeks!

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

 

Well, happy Monday folks!

I hope everyone was able to survive the many flakes of snow that Mother Nature decided to drop on us yesterday. Who else woke up and looked outside with a jaw dropping emotion?!

And if the craziness of the snow wasn’t enough, how about the fact that Thanksgiving is this week?! Like, what the heck?!

But like, give me all the mashed potatoes.

Seriously though.

ALL THE MASHED POTATOES.

Okay, and Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce…

…and pumpkin pie.

So, basically, everything.

Anyhoo, I digress.

My post this week will be short and sweet, so enjoy!

With this being the week with the holiday the celebrates the action of giving thanks, I wanted to take a quick step back to talk about a very special part of my life that I’m extremely thankful, blessed, and grateful for.

On January 2, I embarked on a journey unlike anything that I’ve ever done before in my life.

A year long journey of running 1000 miles and working to raise both funds and awareness to a cause that has been close to my heart since my time at Penn State.

At the time of this writing, I have run a total of 900 miles and raised a total of $13,590! This means I’m only 100 miles away from my running goal and $2,410 away from my $16,000 goal.

16,000 kids are diagnosed every single year with some form of cancer. That’s two classrooms of children every single day.

With this journey that has just one week left in Month 11 and one final month to raise money and run miles, I’m so extremely thankful for so many people, which I will list below.

I’m so incredibly thankful for my parents who have taught me from the beginning to follow my heart and passions. They have been by my side and have seen my passion for pediatric cancer research grow throughout my time in college and also since graduating. I love you guys with my whole heart and are so thankful that you are there to offer guidance, support, and above all, undying love every step of the way.

I’m thankful for Hank Angus and the members of The Hope Express who helped me to dig deeper throughout two years of running adventures and pushing me to give 110% with every single mile and to not let the fire burning inside my soul burn out. They helped me to recognize ways to set out and change the world.

I want to thank ALL of the people who have supported me on this journey whether it be through words of encouragement, spreading the word about this cause, or monetary donations. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate all of the love and support. Words can’t really truly begin to express how thankful and grateful I am for each and every one of you.

I’m extremely thankful for all of the people who I’ve had the honor of being able to run in memory for over the years with both the The Hope Express, my 500 Miles of Love, Hope, and Kindness three month campaign in 2016, and now my current 1K For 10K campaign. Their stories of courage are incredible and while I didn’t have opportunity to meet every single one of them, I feel that their spirits are ones that move me on the days that I want to give up.

There is just 1 month and 1 week left in this year-long journey and as I sit here and write these words, I’m just overwhelmed with emotion. I would’ve never thought that I would’ve hit the $10,000 goal so early in that I would be increasing that goal by another $6,000.

So, here’s to the final legs of the journey. Here’s to hitting the 1000 mile mark and $16,000 threshold.

Here’s to keeping my passion alive for this cause, spreading awareness to everyone I meet, and allowing the fire inside my soul to ignite some continued positive change in the world.

Thankful. Blessed. Grateful.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

This past Wednesday, we were able to celebrate World Kindness Day. And as Mr. Sunshine and one who tries to live out a life of optimism to lift up others with positive energy, this is a day that is incredibly meaningful to me.

Well…in all reality…world kindness day should be every day.

As Mark Twain once said, “Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

Sometimes, I am scared by the world and the violence and hatred that is found in it. And one of the ways I work to combat that fear is with love and kindness.

It is something that costs nothing and something that each and every one of us could afford to share more of as we go about our daily lives.

I got to celebrate in the best possible way this year by sharing some stories with the local daycare kids at The Webstaurantstore Learning Center and discussing both thankfulness and gratitude.

I got to interact with kids from ages 2-5 among three different classrooms by reading two different stories–Bear Says Thanks and Being Thankful. 

With the younger kids, I got to engage the kids with a story called Bear Says Thanks, which talked about the main character, Bear, having bare cupboards and nothing to share with his furry friends from the forest.

But, amongst it all, the multitude of friends stop by Bear’s home with all kinds of delectable tasty treats to share, and in the end, they all join with each other on a quilt provided by Bear and sharing in their friendships together with the fellowship of stories that Bear shares.

The best part of sharing this story was getting the opportunity to re-enact it with all the young kids. Each child got an item to bring to the picnic and we all got to share in each other’s company. And, at the end of it all, we got to share in this special “thank you” poem/saying that I hope everyone takes a moment to learn:

After enjoying the company of the younger kids in the classroom, I got the chance to be with the older kids where I read, Being Thankful, which was part of the Little Critter series. It talked about Little Critter not being satisfied with anything in his life and always wanting more…wanting the latest and greatest.

In the end, Grandma and Grandpa show Little Critter to be happy with what he has and give him a thankful rock to remind him to step back for a few moments and remember that there is so much in this life to be thankful for, which included his family, friends, and home.

All the older kids got to make their very own thankful rocks to take home and keep in a safe spot to help them remember to always be thankful. We also got to go around the classroom and share with each other things that we were thankful for.

It was an uplifting experience. One that was needed and welcomed after a few draining weeks.

These kids are the future of our world and teaching them to be kind and share love wherever possible is such an important lesson to be learned and it was an awesome experience getting to show them just a small piece of these aspects through reading and activities on World Kindness Day.

There are days when I both wake up and go to bed scared because of the amount of violence and hate that is in our world and our community. It seems to be thrown in our faces on the daily.

We need to share love and kindness more…

…And with everyone.

We need to be more intentional about it and make every effort to have it become a part of our daily routine with every person with interact with.

Smile at the stranger. Share your appreciation with someone in life that means a lot to you. Buy the order for the person behind you in the drive-thru line.

The possibilities are endless.

Everyone is deserving of kindness regardless of sexual orientation, religion, ethnitcity, skin color, or social status.

Fill your heart with joy and share it with others.

Lao Tzu says it best…

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates LOVE.”

Go. Do.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, hello there folks! We made it through to another week!

I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to believe that we are one week closer to Thanksgiving.

Not only that, but I feel like I’ve started to see people decorating for Christmas AND hearing tunes of the season playing on the radio.

Can’t I just have a few moments to enjoy my turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes?

Like…seriously…I need to be able to enjoy my mashed potatoes before I shift the gears of my mind over to the holiday season.

You think I’m kidding. But I LOVE my mashed potatoes.

LOVE.

But I digress.

Anyhoo, this week I’m going to discuss the journey I’ve been on the past three years in regards to saying “mmmbyeee” to the skinny minny Mr. Sunshine.

What’s really ironic is that I’m currently feasting on a bag of Sour Patch Kids as I write this…

Didn’t you know that they are part of the food pyramid?!

Well…they are part of the Mr. Sunshine food pyramid…shh…don’t tell my trainer!

But I digress…again.

For as long as I can remember, I was always skinny. Growing up, I was always the one that had no meat on their bones. I was always the one that was made fun of in elementary school, middle school, and high school because there was just nothing to me.

Literally…nothing.

There were even times that people would ask if I ate because I was that skinny.

Fitness was never something that really interested me. In all honesty, it was something that I would often think about–I would think about going to the gym, I would think about getting toned muscles–I would think about looking like those picture perfect Instagram models that have chiseled everything–but I would never actually execute and move forward with it.

I was always the person that would try to find the latest and greatest fitness fad during the month of December and tell myself that I was going to become physically fit once the calendar switched to January 1st.

You know…those infamous New Year’s resolutions that we all make for ourselves that last like a week before we fall off the bandwagon?!

Yeah…that was me…like every year once I graduated college.

I would join the local gym at the beginning of the year and after a good week or two of “working out,” I would stop. The excuse was usually that I was too busy…but we all know that I just didn’t feel like putting in the work.

I didn’t have the motivation.

I was even crazy enough (or should we say INSANE) to buy the Insanity fitness DVD’s to try and get fit that way. My former roommate Elyse can attest to this because she was more consistent than me. I fell off the bandwagon after like a month because I got lazy and once again, was too busy.

Toward the end of 2016, I told myself that I needed to buckle up and get serious about getting in shape, so I started to do some research into personal trainers. I knew that if I made a financial investment into bettering myself for the future, I would stick with it. I’m also the type of person who needs someone motivating me and pushing me to be great.

I knew a theater friend who I worked with and reached out about the gym that she was working for at the time. After receiving very positive feedback, I decided to reach out to the trainer and make an appointment to talk about my goals.

The rest is history.

I’ve been working with Zach Musser at Z Fitness on Columbia Avenue in Lancaster since January of 2017 and I can’t even begin to describe how much my life has changed for the better because of it. I’ve gotten stronger in body, mind, and spirit and two times a week for one hour, Zach pushes me to be better and makes me do things that I would’ve never been able to do 3 years ago.

Squatting with 60 pound dumbbells in each hand?!

Yeah…skinny minny Mr. Sunshine could’ve never done that!

Zach is a great motivator and even though he makes me do push-ups and pull ups (which I DISLIKE SO MUCH), I still can’t even begin to thank him for the changes he has helped me make in my life. Working out has become a habit in my life that I love and when I miss a training session, I don’t feel complete. It is now a part of me that I don’t want to give up in life. I only have hunger to become stronger.

In January of 2017, I started at a weight of 135lbs.

Three years later, after lots of hard work, I weigh right around 156lbs and feel great. I can’t even wait to see what the future holds as my fitness journey continues with Zach over the years.

One of the hardest struggles for me in the fitness journey is food. Everyone knows that I LOVE to cook (TOTAL SARCASM). I don’t like to cook and finding time to do it is something that just doesn’t exist for me. I live a busy lifestyle and most of the time I get food because it is convenient and cost-effective.

Trust me…if you saw my eating habits, you would fall over in your chair.

Sugar, coffee, fast food, sugar, ice cream…I mean…I eat vegetables and cheese too.

This is the aspect of my life that is a constant struggle and one that will be an over-arching goal for me in 2020 as I continue my fitness journey.

More meal prepping, intentional grocery shopping with lists of actual recipes and foods that are healthier, less fast food and coffee intake, and trying to eat less…

…drum roll please…

SUGAR.

Yes, you did just read that last sentence correctly.

Mr. Sunshine needs to lower his sugar intake in 2020.

YIKES! Do they have a support group for that?

I actually do have a pretty awesome online coach who checks in weekly to make sure that I’m getting my calories in and doing due diligence to get those gains!

His name is Daniel Buckley and we connected through social media on Instagram. And like my personal trainer Zach, he is a pretty awesome motivator that I’m extremely thankful for. He is such a huge supporter and his guidance is welcome, honest, and genuine.

Fitness is a journey that looks different for everyone. Finding the path for me that suited my ability took some time and now that I’m on that path, I have the opportunity to continue evolving into something greater.

Fitness takes discipline. It takes dedication.

You have to make the choice. Don’t give up. Take the leap of faith to be healthier, better, stronger.

I’m a firm believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to with hard work and determination.

Skinny minny Mr. Sunshine will soon be a thing of the past.

And, I for one, can’t wait.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

 

I wake up as the alarm on my phone chimes to alert me that it’s time to get out from under the blankets, off the couch, and up to the bathroom for shaving, brushing of the teeth, and make-up applying. Yes, I wear make-up. Get over it.

But wait.

I keep forgetting that even though we live in the 21st century and it is November 4th, 2019, there is still a stigma that lives within our society about people being different.

There is still a stigma within our society that has people saying, “guys don’t wear make-up” or “guys shouldn’t like other guys,” or “it’s really weird that you like to wear skinny jeans,” or “stop looking at the legs on that guy.”

To me, it is mind blowing that these questions (along with countless others) are even in the forefront of people’s minds; however, it is the reality that we live in.

Sadly.

Some days, especially this year, I feel like I’m at an extremely high point in my life at certain moments–at the top of the ladder so to speak–and then..

BOOM.

I get knocked off.

Back to the ground. Only to find myself having to start over with climbing again.

However, the difference is that this time around, I don’t have the energy to climb back up.

Anyone who knows me realizes that I’m a giver…I’m a doer for others…and I give, give, give, and do, do, do…and after the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, that will be done.

At least for a few months.

While there are many positive things happening in life–running miles and raising funds to find a cure for pediatric cancer, people reaching out to me randomly to let me know that they have found some type of positivity or enlightenment through posts of mine, and the conversation that my home church is starting to have in order to become a fully welcoming church regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, skin color, or economic status–all are things that fill my soul with joy.

And with the give, give, give, and do, do, do lifestyle that I have embraced and full-heartedly taken on for as long as I can remember, there have been moments of emotional drainage that have sucked me dry.

So, my friends, that means it is time for me to finally take a step back in life. It is time for me to take serious time for reflection on what is happening both around me and inside of me. It is time for me to take time for myself.

It is time for me to put the give, give, give and do, do, do lifestyle on hold. For more than a hot minute.

This begins the official countdown until we bid farewell to Mr. Sunshine…at least for a few months of 2020.

We can call it what they do in the TV world–a “hiatus.”

Yes…a hiatus. I like the sound of that. An official 2020 hiatus for Mr. Sunshine.

Don’t worry though…the blogs will still happen weekly and I’ll still have email activated for messages along with my phone for calls or texts.

It’s November 4, 2019 in the 21st century and I wake up confused about the society I’m living in because it knocks me off the ladder because I’m “different.”

Do you ever wake up in the morning thinking about who might ostracize you throughout the day or stare with judgment in their eyes?

Do you ever wake up wondering what jerk face butt hole is going to yell an inappropriate comment to your face?

Have you ever had thoughts of hurting yourself because you felt like you weren’t worthy or different?

Have you ever feared for yourself walking home at night to the comfort of your own home?

Well, these aren’t questions that I ask myself.

They are REALITIES that I live.

Every. Single. Day.

So, stop knocking me off the ladder.

Because I’m losing the energy to climb back up.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

 

Happy Monday, readers!

It’s hard to believe that we are coming to the end of October. Seriously though…can someone please tell me where the time is going? And these next two months of 2019 will only fly by even faster, so buckle your seat belts!

This week, I opted to share one of my favorite past blogs from over a year ago. It was one full of extreme passion and raw feelings, which are still very relevant today and worth sharing for a second time.

So, enjoy the deep thoughts of Mr. Sunshine.

“Just A Vulnerable City Boy: An Open Letter Of Thank Yous From A Gay Man Living In 21st Century Society

Hello, readers! Today, I officially welcome you to week 7 of my blog. Once again, I thank you for both following on this journey and supporting me with your reading eyes, immense love, and undying support. It truly does mean the world to me and words in weekly posts can’t express the true amount of gratitude that I have in my heart.

For those of you who don’t know, National Coming Out Day is this coming Thursday, October 11th. This day is obviously one that holds a very special place in my heart.

This week, my post is a open letter full of vulnerability, emotions, and thank yous that I’ve wanted to write for quite some time. While the thoughts in this letter will be a bit lengthy, I hope that you will continue to read on until the end.

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is JP Welliver and I’m 31 years old. I’m a openly gay single man living in the town of Lancaster where I work full time as an Account Manager at The Webstaurantstore, part time as a Customer Service Auditor for The Loomis Company, and music director of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Penryn, PA. And while I keep myself busy with these careers, I also find time to participate in theater productions at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, personal train twice a week, run, and also watch The Golden Girls. However, amongst the crazy schedule, the miles run, the weights lifted, and the large amounts of caffeine consumed, there is one thing that is always in the back of my mind constantly even with being in the 21st century. And that is my sexuality. Even in 2018, there are still moments where I feel judged and stared at.

I came out 13 years ago during junior year of high school and while it has been a wild ride in the time since that moment of clarity for me, there are many emotions that I still feel on the daily, which include several thank yous that I’ve held in for so long that I want to share today.

First off, I want to thank my parents. Thank you for having the courage to sit down and talk with me about my sexuality even though it was an uncomfortable territory for you at first. Thank you for the patience, understanding, and compassion that you have showed me every step of the way and continue to do each day. Without your guidance, I would not be the man that I am today. I would be lost in this world of negativity, hate, and pain if it wasn’t for the constant love that you have used from your souls to raise me on the principle of kindness for everyone regardless of religion, social status, ethnicity, political affiliation, or sexuality. I hope I continue to make you proud as I grow through the years ahead on the paths that await.

Secondly, I want to thank my brother. While you might not have been the most loving sibling to me during our time growing up, I truly wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Even though we may still have fighting battles of words and wit every now and then, you are someone that I look up to and truly admire. You are extremely hard working and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching you mature into a loving husband to Mindy. You may have the brain of smarts, but I have the brain of good fashion sense. Ha!

Thirdly, I want to thank all of my Singing Lions from my time at Penn State. I’ve said this before, but if I was not a part of your group…your family, I would have left. Thank you for offering an environment where everyone could be themselves without judgment. I truly value the friendships that I have created with you and those friendships are responsible for getting me through some of the toughest moments of my 4 year college life at University Park.

Next on my list are my coworkers (at both the full time and part time locations) whom I get the pleasure of being around on the daily. Thank you for supporting me even through my moments of mistakes and failures. All of you bring so much to the table and have helped me grow emotionally and professionally. I only hope that we continue to push each other in our future growth paths together in making the lives of those we help day in and day out a bit better.

I want to take a moment to thank all the incredible friends who have supported me throughout my life in different capacities. It doesn’t matter if our paths have crossed for a hot second (literally) in the past, have crossed paths in the present, or will cross paths in the future…each of those moments (or future moments yet to happen) is incredibly special in the evolution of Mr. Sunshine as a human being.

I want to thank Missy, Elyse, and Marissa who had the ability to put up with me for many years during our living arrangements…and what fun we had together! And while we might not see each other as often as I would like (mostly because I’m so busy), I’m incredibly glad and grateful our paths crossed in this lifetime and that we stay in contact. I also love that we can look back on all the memories we created and laugh hysterically until it hurts. I love that we can use other to vent, offer advice, guidance, or talk about boys. You are definitely three special ladies to me personally even if I don’t always acknowledge it.

I want to thank Abby. She is always so kind and generous to me even in moments when I’m drained and exhausted. I love that we have been able to grow closer over the past couple of years and I know our friendship will grow more and more with each passing year. Thank you for always offering me advice and kind words at the times when I need to hear them most. Truly a beautiful soul.

I want to thank the Ephrata Performing Arts Center and all those I’ve met and had the pleasure of working with over the years. It is so special to me that I have access to a theater so close to home where the feeling of those around you is family. It is a safe place where I can be myself and find joy in the smiles I see on the faces of audience members when under the lights to perform. So many wonderful memories and moments have been created in that space and I know there are more to come. I can’t wait.

I want to thank Hank Angus and those from the Hope Express family that believed in me and helped me to “dig deeper” and uncover the definition of “being worthy” and keeping my passion with finding a cure for pediatric cancer alive. The kindness and generosity of everyone involved with this organization is immeasurable and I only pray that I can continue to strive and make a difference each day with sharing love and hope with everyone around me and igniting a fire within them to make positive change.

I want to think the late Pat Kautter who was a true pioneer in the theater world. I was thankful to work with her on a few different shows in multiple capacities at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center. She was always the “theater mom” who encouraged me not to give up, be true to my identity, and give each moment 110%…even if it meant smiling as I tried to fake tap dance!

A special thank you to my Grandma Neidermyer who left us back in 2006. More than a decade later, it still feels like yesterday when I was huddled around the bed witnessing your last breaths on this earth with all of the family crying tears of pain. I wasn’t ready for you to leave. Your gentle smile is one that is imprinted in my mind and your presence is one I feel from above, especially in moments when I’m struggling. Each day, I wake up and look at the very last picture we got together at the 2005 high school holiday concert that sits on my dresser. It was such a surprise to see you after the show and the smiles on both of our faces in this image are true joy. A moment I will never forget as long as I live.

I want to thank my personal trainer, Zach Musser. He has helped me stay motivated to better my body and mind physically and mentally. I’ve been seeing him for almost 2 years and I can’t begin to thank him enough for the lifestyle changes that he has helped me create for myself. Even if I give him attitude and sass during our early morning workouts, he never fails to push me harder with his undying encouragement and motivation, especially on those days whens I just want to quit.

I personally want to thank all the jocks and straight boys who got a kick out of making fun of me during the years of my childhood. Because of you, I learned to grow thick skin and realize that I shouldn’t give TWO HOOTS about what others think about me or my sexuality. And even though there are moments (mind you in today’s society…the 21ST CENTURY), that I still get stared at or name called, I often find it a bit more tolerable for me to move on and ignore it because of the harsh words that you threw at me growing up.

I want to thank all the guys in my life that have decided that it is better to not tell me the truth up front. Damn it. Just be honest. Don’t tell me that “you are not gay” to only have me find out that you actually are and have a boyfriend. Also, don’t just stop responding if I reach out to you. Like, damn it. Just say “I’m not interested” and be HONEST. Ugh. These are the moments that happen in my life where I find it so hard to trust guys, which continues (and probably always will be) a struggle for me. And while dating is not a priority for me at the present time, these moments are what make it so hard for me to get over the tarnished view of gay men that has been painted in my mind.

I want to thank the guy in CA (I will not mention a name) who reached out to me earlier this year to ask for money. Thank you for pulling at my heart strings with your master craft of a story to get me on board. And before I go any further–I’ve never met this guy in person, but we have a lot of mutual friends on social media and had also been exchanging messages on and off through Facebook Messenger as well. And while you might find it crazy and absurd that I did in fact loan this guy money (and I will not specify the amount), I am a firm believer in helping others because I was brought up on the principle of showing kindness to everyone. I still hold hope in my heart that this person did good with the money, but at the moment, it is really hard for me not to believe that they took advantage of the huge heart that I wear on my sleeve.

I want to thank my bestie, DMH. I know that I’ve said it many times before, but I’m so thankful that you were brought into my life a mere 4 years ago through what is one of the worst phone apps to this day. Our friendship has only gotten stronger since that time. You are one individual that I trust completely, which is hard for me to do these days because of the past I have experienced. Thank you for being a constant in my life amongst a world of change. Thank you for adding extra letters in your texts, never getting mad if I’m having reactive moments of emotion over aspects of my life, allowing me to word vomit in car travels to scary movies, not judging me for wanting to sing Josh Groban’s “Evermore” at the top of my lungs, knowing that sometimes all I need is a night of rummy playing to recharge, and for always being able to bring a smile to my face no matter what the situation. These are priceless things that I cherish greatly (more than you can ever imagine). For these many moments, I will never be able to repay you. I can only hope (well I don’t hope because I know for a fact) that our friendship will only continue to grow stronger as we grow older. . I’m very, very, VERY lucky to know you and have you by my side as a bestie. In today’s society, I think it is extremely important and necessary, especially in the gay community, to have a best friend that involves a platonic relationship. I think it is vital for both personal well being and emotional growth. We share something special and I hope that everyone in the world is jealous of it…because you know what…they should be–what we share as besties is not something many people have in this world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the memories thus far and for the memories that I know are yet to come. I hope you realize how much of a special individual you are to me and how vital of a role you play in Mr. Sunshine’s daily grind.

Finally, I want to thank everyone in life that has been able to look past the walls of judgment our society has built up to realize that I, along with my fellow LGBT brothers and sisters, are human beings full of love to give. We are no different than you. Just because we love someone of the same sex doesn’t mean that we should be called inappropriate names, stared at constantly, or judged because we want to be happy. Quite frankly, I’ve been called the word ‘faggot’ enough in my life.

As we come closer to National Coming Out Day, I want anyone in the world who is struggling with their sexuality to know that it will be OK. I know that it can be scary territory to navigate, but I assure you that you are NEVER ALONE. There will always be people around to wrap warmth and support around you in the moments of extreme darkness when you want to give up.

Open your minds. Open your hearts. Embrace the true colors of those around you. Our world needs to focus on bringing about change through facets of love and kindness. Be the light. Be the change.”

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!