Here a Flower, There a Flower, Everywhere a Sunflower at Samuel Staples Elementary School
“Come with me
into the field of sunflowers.
Their faces are burnished disks,
their dry spines creak like ship masts,
their green leaves,
so heavy and many,
fill all day with the sticky
sugars of the sun.
Come with me
to visit the sunflowers …
( Sunflowers by Mary Oliver)
Many people see sunflowers as a spiritual flower, since they resemble the sun. Vincent van Gogh painted the sunflower more frequently than any other artist. His paintings, he wrote to his sister in 1890, were “almost a cry of anguish while symbolizing gratitude in the rustic sunflower.”
Sunflowers have different meanings for different cultures. For example, in the American Indigenous culture, sunflowers have always symbolized harvest and provision. Similarly, sunflowers have represented a lifeline food source for Ukraine since the 1700s, when the Russian Orthodox Church banned many foods during Lenten fasting season. Sunflower oil was the only oil permitted to consume during this time.
As a result, sunflower oil and seeds continue to be a major agricultural export of Ukraine. They are also the national flower of Ukraine and have become a symbol of the Ukrainian people’s resistance to the invasion by Russia.
Besides their practicality as a rich and healthy food source, sunflowers have the magical ability to lift our mood.
Irv Silverman has done it again in honor and in memory of those who have lost their lives in Ukraine.
We are so thankful for his many talents, the wonderful opportunities to pick and buy fresh fruit, the unique petting zoo; but the sunflower field at Samuel Staples Elementary School is something for which we Eastonites are so grateful!
Not only do these luminous sunflowers make the sky seem to shine even brighter, they remind us of hope for the future, especially for Ukraine, which was Irv’s original intention.
Please visit this years sunflower field at SSES, and take a flower or two home.
There’s also a sign with a website to make a donation for Ukraine.
Special thanks to Silverman’s and to all the farmers who bring, life, sustenance and joy to our country town.
“My feelings are for the Ukrainian people. I just wanted to show my support and empathy for what is happening to the citizens of the country,” said Silverman.
The Cultural Easton 