Mr. Sunshine Smiles

Dear World,

My name is JP Welliver. I am gay, I am proud, and I am love.

As many of you probably already know, June is National Gay Pride Month, and as an openly gay man living in this world, nothing saddens me more than knowing that we are still struggling for rights and continue to be viewed as “different” or  “unfit” by a society that feeds upon hate and judgment.

It is 2019. We are living in the 21st century. What gives? How can it be that we are still living in a world where we would rather hate with our words than love with our hearts? It is the million dollar question that I continue to try and answer each and every day as I live out life.

In Spring of 2005, my junior year of high school, I made the decision to come out to a few of my friends. And while it was a decision that weighed heavily on me day in and day out, it is one that I look back on with no regrets.

And 14 year later, after being bullied, called inappropriate names including the term ‘faggot’, and struggling with thoughts of hurting myself and trying to figure out what I’m on this Earth for, I stand even stronger and prouder of who I am.

Today, I want to share a few reflections that I hope you will all take to heart and ponder as you go about your daily lives today, tomorrow, and each day after.

I want to thank my parents. While I know it was a struggle in the beginning to accept and we fought with differences, I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the unwavering support and true love you have continuously showed me throughout my life. You have raised me to fight for what I believe in, to never give up, and to show love and kindness to all. For that, I can’t repay you and having you by my side is the greatest gift I could ask for.

I want to thank my incredible and amazing friends who have been there through thick and thin since day one. I can’t even begin to imagine life without you all. You make the smiles, laughs, tears, hugs, and memories of each passing day extraordinary and worth living. Having a supportive team of individuals around me does wonders for the soul and it is something that I try to never take for granted. Each and every one of you is appreciated and loved so much. Each and every one of you has had some kind of impact in the evolution of Mr. Sunshine up to this point in my life. And for those who will continue to evolve with me in the future, I look forward to the days ahead with an unwavering optimistic energy.

I want to take a moment to share reflections with those out there struggling with their identity and sexuality. Always be true to yourself and never sacrifice anything for what you feel in your heart. Know that you are not alone and that there will always be people around to wrap you in love and warmth when the world seems cold and closes in with darkness.

I want to take a moment to share some reflections to those who view me and my fellow gay community as different. I hope that you will one day be able to look past the walls of judgement that you have built up and realize that we are no different than you. And while we may identify with feelings for those of the same sex, we are still human beings full of love and pride.  

 

I encourage all of you to celebrate the rainbow and the gay community and to extend a hand to all in this world by spreading love and kindness.  Not just this month, but every month of the year. Do it today, tomorrow, and each day after.

There may be days in my life left on this Earth that I get bullied, called faggot, or struggle with the thoughts of hurting myself—I don’t know what the future holds in store.

But I do know this.

I am a believer in sharing love and kindness to everyone regardless of social status, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. I look for the good in others and work hard in finding ways to make those around me happier. I believe in happily every after and will not sacrifice my morals or values to find whatever that might be for me in life. I fight for what I believe in.

I am happy. I am positive. I am spiritual. I am joyful. I am silly. I am reactive. I am emotional. I am proud. I am colorful. I am Mr. Sunshine. I am JP. I am gay.

I stand before you in this very moment with great pride in my true colors and can’t wait to continue sharing with the world who I am and what I’m about.

We need to stop the hating, the judgments, the bullying, and work together as one to break down the walls of hate that have paralyzed our society with the belief that the gay community is different.

This world needs more love.

Where are the opens arms of love that we should be extending to ALL humans regardless of the gender of the humans they love?

When will the hating stop? When will the violence end? When are we going to wake up as a human race and realize that people who love the same sex are no different than anyone else?

When is the world going to realize that love is love is love?

My name is JP Welliver. I am gay, I am proud, and I am love.

 Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

The happiest of Monday greetings to you all!

It is hard to believe that both the month of June and season of Summer are just around the corner…even though Mother Nature clearly doesn’t realize this fact based off the extremely hot weather she has given us and will be giving us this week.

Anyhoo, on to this week’s topic at hand: choices.

If one were to look up the definition of the world ‘choice,’ they would find the following:

1. An act or instance of choosing.
2. The right, power, or opportunity to choose.
3. The person or thing chosen or eligible to be chosen.
4. An alternative.

Choices.

Each day of our lives, we have to make choices. Choices can be fun to make and they can be not so much fun to make. In addition, these choices that we make can have impacts that are both positive and negative on the people and world around us.

Choices.

I made the choice to not write this blog post after folding laundry last night. I made the choice because it was midnight and I felt too tired to try and write the words. The result? Waking up at 5am to write. Yes, that’s correct. What you are reading right now is the result of me writing from the comfort of my bed, under a blanket, with the air conditioning blasting in the background.

Choices.

Each time I go to the grocery store, I’m forced with the task of making choices in each aisle. Some of these choices can take what feels like YEARS because there are just too many options. Has anyone else experienced the stressful task of what is commonly known as the cereal aisle? Or is it just me? Hundreds of boxes are just staring at you from each side of the aisle trying to get you to make the choice of buying them to take home and enjoy.

Choices.

I’ve had several people reach out to me on more than one occasion asking how I stay so positive even with all the negativity happening in the world. The answer? I make the choice each day when I wake up to find light and joy. I make the choice to stay positive and find positive energy in what is around me and to share that with others. I make the choice to be the sunshine when the clouds of the world decide they to be gray and stormy.

Choices.

Isn’t is crazy to think how such a simple word in the English language can have such huge impacts on so many aspects of our lives?

Every day…every hour…every minute…every second–we are making choices.

Do you make the choice to stay hi to the stranger or ignore them and keep moving on?

Do you make the choice to take the extra cash we found in our pocket to save it or spend it?

Do you make the choice to take action and positive change in our world or simply sit back and watch?

Do you make the choice to keep people in your life whom are motivating and supportive or say goodbye because we know they are creating a negative energy?

Do you make the choice to tell others in your life that you love and appreciate them?

Do you make the choice to hit gas the pedal and go through the red light when it turns yellow or slam the brake to stop?

Choices.

I choose to be happy.

I choose to find joy in simple things.

I choose to say hi to the stranger.

I choose to take action and create positive change.

I choose to keep people in my life who motivate, support, and love me.

I choose to be kind to all people.

Choices.

They can be easy. They can be hard. They can be fun. They can be stressful. They can make us laugh. They can make us cry. They can make us feel all the emotions.

One word.

All the impacts.

Choices.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Monday greetings to you all!

I sincerely hope that the May flowers of the Spring have been keeping you smiling with their beautiful bursts of color and that their strong scents haven’t been too much of a nuisance for those pesky allergies!

This past weekend, we were able to celebrate the BIGGEST Hallmark Card holiday of all holidays…one could say it is the “mother” of all holidays!

That’s right! You guessed correctly!

MOTHER’S DAY!

And as you all continue to read today’s blog post, I’d just like to take a moment and wish all the mothers out there in the world–past, present, and future a very happy and belated by one day Mother’s Day…this also includes those mothers who are no longer with us. All of you are (and have been and continue to be) pioneers in this world with your support, love, and never-ending compassion. And we couldn’t be more thankful!

And…with that being said, I’d like to extend a HUGE happy Mother’s Day to the one and only, Mama Welliver! I’m not sure words can actually begin to express how much I appreciate and love her, but I sure as heck am going to do my best!

Where do I even start? Better yet, how do I possibly say it all? Maria Von Trapp in the The Sound of Music (which happens to be one of Mama Welliver’s favorites), tells us to start at the very beginning…so I will try to do just that!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been super close with my mom. Back in the day of growing up a tiny little Mr. Sunshine, she did and still does it all! From packing my lunches for school (sometimes I secretly wish this still happened because I’m a terrible eater at times), coming into my room during the mornings to make sure my alarm did in fact wake me up and that I was on the go and moving, or giving me a big hug and saying “I love you” before stepping on to the school bus. It’s all part of the never-ending list of things that make Mama Welliver extra special.

And I don’t care what anyone says, getting a hug from a mom is the best feeling in the world…hands down.

During the olden days, when I was a wee little child, I remember getting so excited to go grocery shopping with her. I thought it was like the best thing since sliced bread. The tradition was a Thursday night trip to Weis Markets where we would go up and down the aisles grabbing the items needed while I pushed the cart, which proved to be hard to steer sometimes as it got both fuller and heavier. Side note: For those who don’t know, Mama Welliver is super organized, so she had a list of items all ready to go classified by the aisle number the items were in. And as luck should have it, we got to make our own little trip to the grocery store yesterday on Mother’s Day–something we haven’t done together in forever! And believe it or not, she still has her list organized by aisle!

No matter what we were doing, we always would have a great time–I’m the type of person that told Mama Welliver everything…and in some cases…too much. I still do to this day.

Just the other week, I wore vomited at the lunch table and what was Mama Welliver’s response? “Johnny–you’re funny when you get worked up.”

Fun side note…Mama Welliver calls me Johnny a lot!

Senior year of high school I think was the toughest one for the relationship with my mom. After coming out of the closet, it just seemed that all communication became more yelling than anything–we just didn’t see eye to eye on anything. The yelling was territory that I was unfamiliar with and I just didn’t know how to deal with it. It was a tough, emotional struggle for sure, especially with going away to school.

Ultimately, we worked through it with conversation, questions, and seeking to understand each other. And today, things couldn’t be better.

Mama Welliver is someone who has always been in the audience (with my dad of course too) to support me through every single production, concert, recital, or award ceremony that I’ve ever been a part of…and let me tell you…there have been a lot of them. And I’ve been doing this kind of stuff for at least 20 years. Just ask her how many shows she’s struggles to stay awake at…totally kidding, mom! You know I like to give you a hard time about that!

Mama Welliver is the type of person who will take anyone under her wing. She is the type of person who always puts the needs of others first. She is the type of person who will make sure that everyone has a place to go for a holiday meal so that no one is left out.

She is the one that is responsible for my curly hair gene…and for those of you who’ve seen my hair recently, it is pretty darn curly…and long. And I can’t wait to cut it.

She is the one that is responsible for bringing me up on the morals of kindness, love, and putting others first in life.

She is the one responsible for giving me my fear of confrontation. Like mother, like son–we are both people that do not enjoy or do well at crucial conversations…but we’re working on that.

She is also the one responsible for giving me the “worry about everything” gene. Haha. We are both such worriers…to the maximum level.

Mama Welliver–thank you for always being there to support me through it all. Thank you for passing down your curly hair gene, for always coming out to watch my shows even if they are ones that don’t excite you, and for pushing me to always put 110% into everything that I undertake.

Thank you for always allowing me to give you a hard time for being short when we take photos beside each other. You are always such a good sport about it.

Thank you for taking time to seek and understand my sexuality. I know it wasn’t easy and I know that it still has both scary and rough moments for you, but it is something that I can’t put into words with how much I appreciate it and how much it means to me.

You’ve never stopped believing in me, supporting me, or loving me.

My thirst and passion for life, love for others, smile, and Mr. Sunshine attitude have stemmed from everything you’ve taught me over the last 31 years. We’ve evolved and been through our share of tough times, but we have always come out of it all beaming the same smile…and apparently the same vests too!

I love you, Mama Welliver and I can’t begin to thank you enough for the person you have made me today.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Monday morning greetings all!

Hard to believe that we are already starting another week in the month of May. Before you know it, Summer will be here with the sunshine, heat waves, and freeze pops! Woo!

For those of you who may already know, I’m currently involved in the Ephrata Performing Arts Center production of Ragtime.This is my 23rd production at the theater that I’ve been a part of since starting back in 2010.

Whenever I’m involved with a show, it is always exciting for me to see how it can be related to the events of current day and our world. And boy, does this musical have extreme relevance with today’s society.

The musical is based on the 1975 novel written by E.L. Doctorow. It follows the stories of three groups of individuals in the United States during the early 20th century. African Americans are reprenented by Coahouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; uppert-class suburbanites, represented by Mother, the matriarch of a white upper-class family in New Rochelle, New York, and Eastern European immigrants, represented by Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia.

The musical takes on issues such as race, gender, and immigration and painfully reminds us that we are still struggling to unite ourselves over the division of these issues even 113 years later.

Rehearsals for this production started in February, so as you can imagine a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) went into the making of show. The amount of talent that takes the stage throughout this production is unbelievable. There are not even words that can properly describe it because it has to be witnessed in person in order to understand.

In all my productions that I’ve done at EPAC, there have been only two that have made me cry during moments on stage.

One was a production of Hair back in 2017.

The other one?

Well, you guessed it. This one. Ragtime.

The stories that unfold during the plots combined with the lyrics sung through the many musical numbers are beautiful and heart-wrenching. They are a true testament to the individuals playing the characters that are brought to life with such passion and genuine vulnerability.

To me, one of the themes this show explores is how we must truly look inside ourselves to figure out we can work together to accept all people regardless of their religion, social status, sexual orientation, or skin color. It doesn’t matter and shouldn’t matter. Ever. Not today, not tomorrow, not 30 years from now.

In addition, the musical talks about how we must keep hope alive in the world so that the children and generations growing up after us in society can experience the American Dream and the country our forefathers imagined so many years ago.

Through the countless hours of rehearsal, lighting cues, costume changes, choreographed dance moments (and sitting moments), this is a show that has become a part of me. It has made me cry, made me laugh, and made me look at America–the country around me–as one in dire need of help to break the chains of social prejudice.

I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a production that makes such real, raw emotions flow from my body.

Please, you owe it to yourself to come out to this production. There are just 5 more chances to see it: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and two shows Saturday.

Head over to ephrataperformingscenter.com for ticket information.

We must go out and tell our story to the world. We must let it echo far and wide.

Make. Them. Hear. You.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

 

I’m quite confident that everyone at some point in their life has experienced America’s favorite past time. I’m of course referring to the game of baseball.

Throughout the game, there are many different terms used to describe different aspects of play–single, double, triple, home run, strike out–or my personal favorite…the seventh inning stretch.

Among the players on the team, there is one that a crucial and integral role. That is the pitcher. They are responsible for throwing the ball to the opposing team during play while ultimately getting them to strike out. They do this by switching up their style of throw with the repertoire of pitches they have in their back pocket.

Among that repertoire of pitches…the curveball.

When looking at the dictionary, the definition of the curveball is:

Noun; a pitch thrown with a strong downward spin, causing the ball to drop suddenly and veer to the side as it approaches home plate.

The curveball.

Not only is it a pitch that baseball players dread, but one that us human beings can dread too. Life can throw the curveball at any given moment toward us, especially during the most unexpected moments.

Yesterday was one of those moments where life threw an unexpected curveball.

Sunday morning started out like normal–the alarm went off urging me to wake up, get dressed, and go for a morning run before church at 9:15am.

I arrived at church mentally preparing for the service with organizing my music for the service and sitting in the front pew waiting for the bell to ring signifying it was time for Vicar Angie to make announcements.

She walked to the front of the church and pointed out important upcoming dates in regards to the future of the church…and when I thought she was over, she mentioned one more thing…the curveball.

She announced that Pastor Straw, whom happens to be a very dear friend to many in this community, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer.

Side note: I DISLIKE cancer very much. And this is just another reason why I will continue to run until the cure is found.

You could hear the gasp from a few individuals in the church pews and then silence. It was one of those moments where the words that just came out of her mouth didn’t register and lingered there in the air.

My stomach sank and my mind was immediately drawn to thoughts of the worst. In my head, I started shuffling through some of my most favorite memories with Pastor Straw, which most of the time include singing because he has a beautiful tenor voice that commands whatever room he happens to be in with the echoes of lush melody.

Knowing how this curveball is affecting not only me, but the countless others Pastor Straw has touched is absolutely heartbreaking. I can’t even imagine the thoughts and emotions his family is going through. All of my love, thoughts, and prayers will be with them and I know that they would all appreciate good thoughts, vibes, and prayers if you have the chance.

So, what is the point with me writing all this?

Never take anything for granted.

Never.

Ever.

Squeeze the people around you in life with hugs full of love.

Tell the people that you appreciate most in life how much they mean to you. Do it now. This very moment right after you finish reading this sentence.

Life will continue to happen.

Life will continue to move faster and faster without slowing down.

And it will throw us strong, downward spinning curveballs when we least expect it.

But…it all comes down to how we react to the pitch.

Do we embrace fear, strike out, and sit in the dug out on the bench?

Or do we choose hope to crush the ball and hit it out of the park?

The choice is yours.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

 

 

 

 

 

The grass patch in front of my Lancaster City home continues to grow. With the numerous amounts of rain and lack of time I’ve had to get out the “reel lawn mower” in the past weeks, it just hasn’t gotten the attention it needs.

And it is just the beginning of multiple imperfections in my life at the moment.

It all starts with grass.

Walk through the front door of Sunshine Cottage and you’ll probably want to turn right back around due to the disarray of “organized chaos” currently happening in what seems to be all rooms of the home.

In all fairness, the house is going through some extensive remodeling at the moment, so the chaos is justified…for now at least.

Items are thrown in piles on the floor, the coffee table is full of thank you note materials for my running campaign, and dust seems to be setting up shop around every little nook and cranny.

And I embrace it. 110%.

I’m not sure if it is just me; however, I feel like society throws in our faces the need to live perfect lives…in perfect homes…with perfect clothes…perfect people, and perfect “stuff” surrounding us.

Well, breaking news everyone. Rip out the front page headline. I call BS.

And I’m saying NO to society at the top of my lungs as I navigate these waters of life.

I want to be different. I want to be outside the box. I want to be against the status quo that we are influenced and surrounded by constantly.

I embrace the messy house that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks, the messy car that hasn’t been cleaned in (I can’t even remember when), the shoes falling apart with holes, the one who looks in the mirror and realizes that I shouldn’t change my personality or life ethic for anyone.

The billboard ad that you pass by every day on your way to work that shows the individual pictured smiling big because they just spent money on the latest and greatest fashion at Abercrombie and Fitch…is that actual true happiness?

Or the commercial that tells you to buy the newest version of the IPhone because it has a bigger and better camera and “everyone is doing it.” Are the photos you are going to snap with that ever-so-clear camera really going to display true happiness?

Is the selfie photo that you decided to put up on Instagram after 10 attempts of capturing perfection really telling the world who you truly are or forcing you to hide behind a filter?

Is going to the gym 7 days a week to achieve what society calls a “hot beach bod” really going to bring about everlasting feelings of pure joy and bliss 10 years from now?

Society tells us to “buy this, do that, and to be more like this person.” And I say NO.

Embrace the imperfections. OWN the imperfections. Realize that what society throws in our faces is not a cure all answer to the complicated equation known as life.

Life isn’t about having the most friends, the most money, the most expensive luxuries, or being the most popular. It’s about making positive change in the world with what you have and lifting up others.

Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

We are the ones who have the ability to live out Gandhi’s quote each and every day. We are the ones who have the power to ignite flames of passion in others around us to create positive change. We are the ones who have the power to display love and kindness to ALL regardless of their social status, religion, ethnicity, skin color, or sexual orientation.

We are the ones who can embrace our imperfections 110%.

Stop worrying about what society claims to think you need for a “perfect” life. It’s a load of bull and bologna.

Be different. Go outside the box. Go against the status quo.

Find your very own overgrown patch of grass and embrace it.

Embrace the imperfections. They are what make us genuine, human beings capable of living, feeling, and loving.

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!

Well, folks. Spring has sprung in the world around us…and no, it is NOT an April Fool’s joke. Although I will admit these days with the back and forth of super warm weather to extreme coldness are really playing with my mind and I don’t like it. Make up your mind Mother Nature! The April showers have trickled their waters upon us and the May flowers that we all know and love are starting to emerge from the ground….and with them come the allergies. Who’s excited?! I know I am…well, not for the allergy part! 

And along with this beautiful Spring weather comes what I like to call a “renewal of life.” This is something that I look forward to each and every year at this time because it allows me to reflect on myself, life, and the world around me. Some of the renewal of life moments that I tend to enjoy the most are smelling the scent of fresh flowers, enjoying the company of family as we come together to celebrate a holiday meal, and running outside in the warmth of the sun to enjoy one-on-one time with nature. 

Those who know me realize that I’m always on the go. And I mean ALWAYS. Like, catch me if you can! That means, I must be intentional about my personal renewal of life and how I execute it.

How am I currently executing this? Well, read on and you will find the 3 specific ways that I will be enjoying this renewal of life over the next couple of weeks. 

1. Spring cleaning the house to declutter  
2. Coloring   
3. Watching a feel-good movie and journaling both feelings and reflection on how it relates to my life  

Spring cleaning and decluttering is (believe it or not) something that I absolutely love doing…and not just at Spring time. I don’t know what it is, but there is something so satisfying with decluttering a room, a closet, or a cabinet and making sure that trash bag is FULL. Yahssss. So satisfying. 

Another entity in my renewal of life is coloring. Yes, that’s right…coloring. There is something so relaxing about being creative with colors and making pictures come to life. And before you judge it, try it. Adult coloring books are all the rage. And trust me…it will relax you, de-stress you, and give your creative brain a workout. It will RENEW you. 

Finally, the last piece of my renewal of life is watching a “feel good” movie and journaling both my thoughts and reflections about how it relates to my personal life after it’s over. So therapeutic. Give it a try. The other night I watched Moana and the whole time I just smiled and sang along. Then, I took to my journal and wrote some personal reflections. It can work wonders, so I hope you take a moment to try it. 

Spring is a time for a refreshing, new start. It is a time to renew our lives with energy, passion, and love. During the next couple of weeks, remember to take moments to reflect on the many blessings you have been given in life, to appreciate the people in your life who mean the most, and to take in each moment for what it’s worth. 

Take time to enjoy this season for a renewal of life. 

Sprinkle sunshine always,

JP!