08/27/2026
💜 THANKFUL THURSDAY: MICHELLE LISENBEE 💜
Some people come into your life and quickly become part of the fabric of who you are. Michelle Lisenbee is one of those people for Respite Retreat.
Michelle has been walking alongside us since our earliest years, sharing her creativity, compassion, healing hands, and heart with our guests and our community. Over the years, she has become so much more than one of our longtime facilitators—she is a treasured friend and an important part of the Respite Retreat family.
Today, our Thankful Thursday spotlight is all about Michelle and the many gifts she so generously shares with us.
For eight years, Michelle has shared her creativity, compassion, healing hands, and heart with our community—and we are incredibly grateful for every one of those gifts.
A mixed media artist, Holistic Nurse, and Licensed Massage Therapist with more than 40 years of experience as a medical professional, Michelle has a unique ability to bring creativity and healing together. She believes that true connection is where healing happens, and she has made cultivating space for that connection—especially through art—part of her calling. We have been fortunate to experience that calling firsthand.
As one of our longtime art facilitators, Michelle is always dreaming up something new for our guests. Her projects are creative, unique, meaningful, meditative, and FUN! She has a wonderful way of making art approachable for everyone—even those who begin by insisting, “I’m not artistic!” Before long, people are creating, laughing, sharing, and connecting.
And then there are those magical hands—and those hugs! 😊
Michelle is never shy about putting her massage therapy skills to work when a guest needs a little extra TLC. A stiff neck or aching shoulders may quickly turn into an impromptu massage, and we’ve heard more than once that Michelle’s hands are simply “magical.”
And if you’ve ever been lucky enough to receive one of Michelle’s hugs, you know there’s a lot of magic in those, too. She gives some of the warmest, most genuine hugs you could ever receive—the kind that make you feel cared for before a single word is spoken.
It’s simply who Michelle is. She notices what people need and has a beautiful way of offering comfort, connection, and care.
The beautiful art projects are a gift. The neck massages are definitely a gift. And those wonderfully warm hugs are a gift, too! But perhaps Michelle’s greatest gift is the way she makes people feel: welcomed, encouraged, cared for, and connected.
Michelle, you have believed in and supported Respite Retreat since our early days, and that means more to us than we could ever adequately put into words. Thank you for showing up year after year for our guests, sharing your many talents so freely, and helping us create a place where connection and healing can happen.
You are so much more than a facilitator. You are part of the foundation of our Respite Retreat family and a very dear friend!
Today—and always—we are so very thankful for YOU, Michelle! 💜🎨
Learn more about Michelle and her healing arts at https://www.michellelisenbee.com/ or follow her at Michelle Lisenbee Healing Arts
