Sunflowers now remind me of the brave woman who cursed a Russian soldier with seeds, and the extraordinary power of ordinary people to unite for peace.

As Russia’s first explosions shattered the peace in Ukraine, I watched real-time on CNN from our warm, comfortable living room in Pennsylvania. Millions of people would soon wake up within a war zone. My normal Wednesday evening, their pre-dawn, would become the day when everything changed.

To keep calm, I envisioned people placing flowers into the barrels of guns and searched online for similar, iconic Flower Power images.

Then, on that first day, Feb. 24, of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation, phone cameras captured the “Sunflower Woman” standing her ground.

She gave me hope.

Her voice full of outrage and defiance, a Ukrainian woman confronts an armed Russian soldier. We barely see her face on the short video, viewed nearly 14 million times on just YouTube and Twitter at last count.

We never see the sunflower seeds. Yet, whenever I see a sunflower, I will see this woman.

“Take these seeds and put them in your pocket,” she says to the soldier, “so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here.”

Just imagine having the courage to say that to someone who can shoot you dead on the spot.

The only good that will come of you being here on this patch of earth with this gun is if the seeds in your pocket sprout from the dust of your bones. (I’m paraphrasing.)

“You came to my land,” she says, in the translation and subtitles on the video. “You are occupiers. You are fascists. And from this moment, you are cursed,” she tells the soldier.

Powerful Mix of Science & Spirit  

I believe her. Sure, she’s furious and telling him off.

But there’s so much more.

To rally her fellow Ukrainians and connect with Western culture, it’s hard to imagine picking a better symbol than the sunflower, a powerful blend of science, spirit and symbolism throughout Ukraine’s history.

The bright blooms of sunflowers lift spirits and feed your soul — and bees and other pollinators. Their heads turn to follow the sun. Their seeds feed people and birds. Their oil has fed the economies of neighbors Russia and Ukraine. That is, before everything changed.

Sunflowers are prominent in Ukrainian folklore and folk art as protection from evil spirits. They represent energy, life and well-being, fertility and unity. (For more on this.)

Sunflowers also have a remarkable capability to heal. Sunflowers removed toxins from the soil after the 1986 disaster at the Ukrainian Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.  

Native Americans first cultivated sunflowers, native to North America. The seeds were later exported to Eastern Europe. While the Ukrainian Orthodox Great Lent promotes abstinence from meat, poultry and by-products — it did not ban sunflower oil during Lent. (For more.)

Learning about Ukrainian culture and history has fueled my growing appreciation and respect of the power of this 69-second video clip. My research across multiple publications has not turned up any evidence that it is fake. Looks like it’s helping Ukraine win the hearts of free people all over the globe — mine included.

Learning has helped me channel my sorrow for the carnage of this horrific war and focus on a bright spot.

“You are a part of me I do not know yet,” writes author Valarie Kaur in her beautiful book “See No Stranger ~ A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.” Her words have been on my mind as I learn more. We are all connected.

Now, the sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine, has become a global symbol of peace and solidarity with Ukraine. A new aspect and face of “flower power”? I hope so.

Bleak Days

The woman’s words did not stop the Russian barrage of shelling and rockets and mortar. What will? This invasion has killed, trapped and terrorized civilians and threatens Europe.

These are horrible, bleak days for Ukraine. Families are shattered as mothers flee with their children, torn away from fathers who stay to fight. Sometimes, mothers have returned once they’ve delivered their children to safety.

As I write, these two weeks of war have turned an estimated 2 million people into refugees and untold numbers of men and women have become soldiers. Apartment buildings that on Valentine’s Day saw celebrations of love, romantic dinners and the daily unfolding of ordinary family life have been shelled into rubble.

If you’ve tuned out of the news to safeguard your mental health, I respect that decision.

And if your life in a democracy allows you to tune out, that is a luxury worthy of at least a moment and prayer of gratitude. We must never take democracy for granted.

Watching human suffering at human hands is heartbreaking.

For me, it’s been impossible to look away.

Bearing Witness

I feel strongly about the importance of bearing witness to what is unfolding, and being an informed global citizen and American citizen who reads and gathers information from many, many sources, constantly checking their credibility. (My journalism training helps with this.)

Democracy over authoritarianism. This war is that simple. An authoritarian leader wants the land and wants to break the Ukrainian people’s choice of self-governance to get it.

But that independence and culture cannot be erased. These people cannot be erased.

In the sea of horrific images and stories, this defiant woman provides a powerful respite, invoking the rich symbolism of cheery blooms, and reminding us of the power of one, ordinary human.

Crushing Fear

Her bravery crushed the largest weapon of authoritarians: Fear.

She walks up to the soldier in her ordinary snow boots, warm coat and knit hat. We see the barrel of his gun, his combat boots, his olive and brown military uniform and helmet. We see her puffy winter coat and knit cap against the cold. They are in Henychesk, a port city near the Sea of Azov in Kherson.

She captured the essence of this moment: The people are the rightful ones to determine their destiny. Not the few and powerful. Not a neighboring country. Not foreign, armed soldiers.

In the first few days of Russia’s invasion, something remarkable happened: Much of the world said NO to war, exercising economic power and power over disinformation.

People and companies all over the globe spoke out and took steps to stand firm against Russian president Putin’s invasion, isolating Russia economically.

A collective call for peace — the brightest spot of this awful time.

Wars often happen in darkness, without enough journalists on the ground. But this one seems to be different. And the world is watching, real-time. These events cannot be denied, as so many previous atrocities have been.

From all I’m learning about the Ukrainian people, they will prevail — eventually. What amount of time and human suffering will that take? No one knows, nor knows how this will end.

But when it does, may sunflowers once again grow all over Ukraine and help these people and this land to heal.

Soon, when my hands can dig into warm soil, I’ll remember this woman and plant loads of sunflower seeds.

Keep Calm & Plant Sunflowers

As the invasion began, my online searching for Flower Power images led me to the comfort of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s song “Imagine,” an iconic anthem for peace. (Here is a dreamy version. Also fabulous: this cover performance from Lady Gaga.)

Later, I found that iconic “flower power” image I’d half-remembered.

A young man — believed to be an 18-year-old actor named George Harris — placed a carnation into the barrel of a gun during an anti-war march on the Pentagon, on October 21, 1967. Young people had started using flowers, toys, candy and music at anti-war protests to de-escalate tensions and create street theater to convey their message.

Photojournalist Bernie Boston spotted and captured the image

Perhaps sunflowers and the “Sunflower Woman” will endure, and become the iconic new face of Flower Power.

Hope so. Keep calm and plant sunflowers. May people unite against war. May a good, lasting peace and solidarity emerge to end this horrible suffering in Ukraine.

Never underestimate the power of one, ordinary person.

Never underestimate the power of one furious woman with seeds.

To donate to organizations providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine:

Together Rising

Presbyterian Mission – Presbyterian Church USA

Host people fleeing Ukraine through AirBnB.