Melissa by The Allman Brothers Band

Write about your first name:
its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.

As the story goes, I was, in fact, named for the 1972 Allman Brothers song, Melissa.

Not for a family member or a best friend, but for a love song.

I guess there are worse things 😉

Melissa name meaning from Ancestry.com:

The name Melissa has its origins in Greek mythology, specifically from the story of Melissa, the nymph who fed Zeus honey as an infant. In Greek, Melissa translates directly to bee, symbolizing the insect’s association with abundance, sweetness, and fertility.

Sad as the song is, and given all I’ve learned about my origin story and what I imagine to have been my mom‘s emotional state around the time of my birth, it all comes together and kinda makes sense that such a heartbreaking song would inspire the name of an itty bitty, 5 pound 4 ounce, baby girl, born on the tail end of a massive snow storm.

Or, maybe it’s not that deep 😉

Regardless, I’m possibly the biggest fan of honey on the planet (give me all.the.honey all.the.time) and also happen to be allergic to bees.

Melissa by The Allman Brothers Band

Crossroads, seem to come and go, yeah
The gypsy flies from coast to coast
Knowing many, loving none
Bearing sorrow, having fun
But, back home he’ll always run to sweet Melissa
Mm-hmm

Freight train, each car looks the same, all the same
And no one knows the gypsy’s man
And no one hears his lonely sighs
There are no blankets where he lies
Lord, in his deepest dreams the gypsy flies with sweet Melissa
Mmm-hmm

Again, the morning’s come
Again, he’s on the run
A sunbeam’s shining through his hair
Fear not to have a care
Well, pick up your gear and gypsy roll on, roll on

Crossroads, will you ever let him go, Lord, Lord?
Or will you hide the dead man’s ghost?
Or will he lie, beneath the clay?
Or will his spirit float away?
But, I know that he won’t stay without Melissa
Yes, I know that he won’t stay, without Melissa
Lord, Lord, it’s all the same
Mmm-hmm

There you go.

How about you? Any fun stories about your name? I love reading about this kind of personal history.

xoxo,

Melissa / Melis but never, ever “Missy”