16/100 Honey Bee

So my name means Honey Bee, and I was born in the beehive state. Coincidence? Probably. But it’s made me partial to honey bees and honey bee imagery.

The name Melissa comes from Greek origins, the wikipedia page on it was pretty all over the place. All I know is that when my parents went to Greece long ago, they brought me back many honey bee shaped items telling me all about the meaning of Melissa.

I’m sure when my 17 year old mother was sitting in the hospital on that chilly morning after Christmas she wasn’t thinking about bees. No, she was thinking about Barry Manilow. She named me after the song “Could It Be Magic” which you can enjoy, along with Barry’s incredibly tight and sparkly purple shirt in this video. Listen closely, because at the 1:20 mark you will hear my name!

Supposedly the Mormons dubbed Utah the Beehive State because of bees are associated with hard work and perseverance. I like to think that like a bee, I too hold fast to those values. Plus, I like that they are friendly as can be until you mess with them. What’s surprising though, for all my connections to them, is that I am allergic to bee stings.