Michelle Thornberry Patterson

02/07/2025

Mine. One of the strongest women I know. She’s like medicine.❤️❤️❤️

29/06/2025

The hell we won’t.

19/06/2025

This was a hard day for our family as we celebrated the life of my precious father-in-law, Martin Patterson. Having our boys close is good for our hearts.

07/06/2025

I had jaw surgery 5/20. I have needed this surgery for 20 years.
The arthritis & debris was cleaned out of each joint & 4 screws were put into my jaw, w/ bands, to train my jaw back into the proper position. I get the screws out in 3 weeks & then I start PT.
I was full of dread for a long time before the surgery, due to a trauma-based fear of out-of-control pain (thx Parsonage Turner.👎) Another fear factor for me was that Parsonage Turner Syndrome can recur with any surgery & anesthesia. The thought of a possible recurrence sent me into a panic & made having surgery at all a scary decision for me.
A lot of dear ones were praying for me & on the way to hospital, I began to feel peaceful, which I know wasn’t coming from me.
All of my desires for this surgery were met with a YES! I did not experience out-of-control pain, Parsonage Turner did not recur & the surgery immediately fixed my jaw position. My teeth meet together for the first time in 20 years!
As an autoimmune patient with a 🌟 sparkly 🌟 body, it is rare for me to have a medical procedure where everything goes according to plan. Something weird alway happens. They can’t find a vein w/out a machine or I respond badly to a drug or it’s worse than they thought when they get in there or my incision swells up & stitches have to be cut, so on & so forth.
Autoimmune patients move through a file folder of reasons to be afraid to have another procedure. If you have an autoimmune patient for a friend, try to compassionately remember this. There are literally FACTS that contribute to our fear of surgery.
I am stunned & relieved that nothing weird happened for me during this major, life-changing surgery. I am grateful for the peace that bypassed my “facts” on that day.
My community is amazing. We were covered up in food, flowers & generosity as I recovered. ❤️❤️
Please enjoy these pictures of a) post-op pumpkin head b) my new piercings

07/06/2025

Lil’ Update: I had jaw surgery on May 20th. I have needed this surgery for about twenty years. When I started performing more last summer, I started experiencing incredible jaw pain again and had to be on narcotics to sing at all.

The arthritis and debris was cleaned out of each joint and the four screws were put into my jaw, with bands, to train my jaw back into the proper position. I get the screws out in three weeks and then I’ll start physical therapy.

I was full of dread for a long time before the surgery, due to a trauma-based fear of out-of-control pain (thx Parsonage Turner.👎) Another fear factor for me was that Parsonage Turner Syndrome can recur with any surgery and anesthesia. The thought of a possible recurrence sent me into a panic and made having surgery at all a scary decision for me.

A lot of dear ones were praying for me and on the way to hospital, I began to feel peaceful, which I know wasn’t coming from me.

All of my desires for this surgery were met with a YES! I did not experience out-of-control pain, Parsonage Turner did not recur and the surgery immediately fixed my jaw position. My teeth meet together for the first time in 20 years! (Now I have to re-learn how to eat with my whole mouth!)

As an autoimmune patient with a 🌟 sparkly 🌟 body, it is rare for me to have any type of medical procedure where everything goes according to plan. So far I am up to 6 surgeries and countless outpatient procedures. Something weird has always happened. Either they can’t find a vein without a machine or I am the 2% of people who respond badly to a post-procedure drug or it’s worse than they ever thought when they get in there and the recovery ends up being twice as long or my incision swells up and stitches have to be cut and so on and so forth.

Autoimmune patients move through a file folder full of reasons to be afraid to have yet another procedure. It is not normal. If you have an autoimmune patient for a friend, try to compassionately remember this. There are literally FACTS that contribute to our fear of surgery.

I am stunned and relieved that nothing weird happened for me during this major, life-changing surgery. I am beyond grateful for the peace that bypassed my “facts” as I moved closer to the hospital.

My community is amazing. We were covered up in food, flowers and generosity as I recovered. ❤️❤️

Please enjoy these pictures of a) post-op pumpkin head and b) my new piercings

15/05/2025

I am having jaw surgery next Tuesday and my sweet church has started a meal train for us. ❤️Thank you Emmaus Fellowship!

Michelle is having jaw surgery on May 20 to help relieve her chronic head and neck pain. Let’s pour on the love for this amazing family in the form of yummy meals and heartfelt prayers!

25/04/2025

Well, this is one of my top days of the year: our Ascension Arts Studio Showcase! My students were FANTASTIC! So many victories! The audience was enthusiastic and Micah Mirabella, a studio alumni, performed as a special guest. I am invested in these singers in a way that makes me sit on the edge of my seat, pulling for their success. I am so flippin’ proud of what they accomplished!❤️❤️

23/04/2025

Locals! Anybody want to come hear my amazing students sing tomorrow night? This is a “recital” like no other and you will LOVE it! If you have ever thought about learning with me, this would be a great opportunity for you to see what our studio is like. See you there!

19/04/2025

Mine!

15/04/2025

I got to be a part of Wild At Heart podcast about being in a stuck place. It was three therapists and me. For a hot minute, I thought it might be an intervention. I looked around for my mom….😉

In this conversation I get to be honest about pent up anger and how I got “unstuck”.❤️❤️

John is joined by Sam Eldredge, Stacia Littlefield, and Michelle Patterson to talk about how to overcome our stuck places. Discover the role pervasive shame ...

03/04/2025

One of my sweet students is also a photographer and took some snaps of me in my studio as a part of one of her school projects. This little studio is where all the action happens-teaching, writing, warming up, rehearsing, podcasting, set list planning and idea hatching. It’s a sacred space for me. ❤️ 📸 :