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You may be wondering why Violets are the theme of a Vampire Rave profile. I knew Violets had always been present and significant throughout my life, but it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that it all came together for me. If I had a spirit flower, it would definitely be a Violet.



Spending the summers at my grandparents’ house nestled in the mountains of picturesque Roaring Gap, North Carolina, was something I always looked forward to when I was a child. Generally, when school was out, my mother and I would pack up the car and hit the long windy road from Pittsburgh to Roaring Gap. There was about a one-week period every summer where my mom would go to Winston-Salem to visit and stay with her brother. During that time, I had my grandmother all to myself. We would take walks down the old forgotten path to a beautiful, sun-filled meadow. We would bring picnics, arts and crafts, and we would always pick the splendid blue-purple Woodland Violets that dotted the meadow. I especially loved the rare Violets with the citrine-colored centers. The meadow was like something from a dream, with tall melodic grasses dancing in the cool mountain breeze. My grandmother taught me that you could preserve these delicate flowers by pressing them between the pages of a heavy book. All these years later, I still have Violets from those times.



One afternoon as we were walking to the meadow, my grandmother said, “Did you know that my first name is Violet?” Known to me as Nan or Justine as people in town called her, I didn’t believe her at first. My grandparents’ last name was Lyon, making my grandmother’s legal name Violet Lyon. I learned that summer that Justine was my grandmother’s middle name and that people had begun calling her that in grade school. Although most people called her Justine, she preferred Violet. Instantly, it made sense to me why my grandmother loved Violets so much. Throughout her Roaring Gap mountain home, as well as her home in the foothills, there were always African Violets and whatever Woodland Violets she could get to take root. My grandmother could grow anything and her Violets were always gorgeous and thriving.



Years later, it was time for me to go to undergrad. My family was living in Ohio at the time and I planned to go to Ohio State with my friends from high school. Approximately two months before moving to the dorms in Columbus, my father received word from his company that he was being transferred to Orlando, Florida. Not wanting to be over 1000 miles from my parents, I quickly applied to the University of Florida and Florida State University. After being accepted to both, I decided on the University of Florida. Because I was so late in the application process, the only dorms available were in the unairconditioned buildings. Since it is about 500 degrees in central Florida for most of the year, my parents and I decided that it would be best to live in an off-campus apartment. Since I would be residing off-campus, my parents were concerned that I would miss out on the social interactions that living in the dorm would provide. They suggested I go through sorority rush and consider pledging a sorority. My mom had not been in a sorority and I didn’t really know anyone who had, so I had no letters of recommendation to assist me. With over 3000 college women participating in sorority rush and only 18 sororities to choose from, I was apprehensive that I would not get a bid. On the second day of rush, I met Alpha Delta Pi and fell in love. Throughout all the rounds, ADPi was my top choice. Apparently, they fell in love with me as well because when I opened my bid card, there in beautiful azure blue and gold leaf was my name and an invitation to join Alpha Delta Pi.



In tears, along with the others that had received a bid, I ran down sorority row to the beautiful white house with azure blue shutters, the last house on the left, Alpha Delta Pi. Upon arriving on the lawn, I was greeted by one of the ladies I met during rush. She began handing me gifts, including stuffed lions and a potted African Violet. You see, it turns out that ADPi’s mascot is a lion and the flower is the Woodland Violet (often substituted for an African Violet because Woodland Violets generally do not thrive indoors). Violet. Lion (Lyon). It clicked for me at that moment.



Interestingly, Violets are also the February birth flower, the month in which both my grandmother, mother, and uncle were born.



Violets are rich in symbolism as well. The history of Violets dates back to ancient Greek times, and their purple-blue blossoms are seen as symbols of loyalty and purity. In Christian writings, the Violet flower is often seen as a symbolic emblem of humility. Violets are said to have blossomed when Mary learned from the Angel Gabriel that she would be giving birth to the Savior of the World. Violets have also been used throughout history as a calming agent and a headache remedy.



Since my grandmother passed away several years ago, I have had a patch of Woodland Violets that randomly grow beside my fence every year. These flowers, which are nearing extinction, are considered quite rare and extremely hard to grow. While I do my best to care for this patch of Violets, they grow abundantly without any assistance from me.



This profile, featuring Violets, is in honor of my beloved grandmother, Violet Lyon, and Violets' symbolism throughout my life.