Zinnia Zayda

	*Zinniazayda, Zin, Naela, or just Rachael is:

I love Rachael so much. She's amazingly kind, and I can't believe how well we understand each other. She was brave enough to come up and talk to me on the first night of camp as I was trying to play Bach. It's been a long time since I've connected with someone that quickly, that closely. Wow. She's generous, and perceptive, and beautiful, and... yeah. I love her a lot.

Rachael/Naela is such an incredible dancer (see below), and she's gorgeous, and kind, and beautiful, and she has such a strong presence and self-assurance... it blows me away. Wow -JessicaSkater

I really love the way I dance. - Naela herself

• I do too! -wanderlust

A gypsy child of the wind, a delicate seashell with the whole universe inside of her to discover. She dances to the music of the stars, writes to the voices of the earth, calls to the equisite beauty of a land far, far away..... She writes beautifully and we have great conversations and I miss her sooooo much. Words can't say how much I love this girl! -wanderlust

A poem I wrote about Naela last fall (1999) -wanderlust

 Naela is a faerie friend,
 A little tiny glowing friend,
 An elf that landed here, 
 Here in our strange world,
 She's become a friend so dear.

 Naela you are delicate,
 Like a falling leaf you are,
 But even leaves have binding thread,
 That keeps them lovely and strong by far.

 Big brown eyes -
 Elfin eyes!
 Elfin eyes that sing to me,
 Harmonies of faerie melodies.

 Wish you could tell me of your world, 
 But I'm not sure that you even know,
 Of the light you spread and the friendship you give,
 Of your lightness and brightness and specialness,
 That you will always shine, and your faerie light
 Will always gently glow.

A very caring, friendly, wonderful person. - Siliny

A darling not from earth kind of girl who writes beautiful stuff and opens up on a different level than most people. (~summer)

Wiser then she will ever know, braver then she can imagion, kinder then she thinks is possible, taller bolder and going forwards

Rachael and I have grand old times togther, especially when we talk about our characters! It is nice to have a fellow writer in the unschooler mist. She also is compassionate and tolerant of those with haunted souls and dark minds... Fuzzhead

Oh, dearie, I'm not 'sposed to call you Piglet anymore, am I? Ah well, there are other good names for you. Rachael is okay, I guess. Maybe I'll call you Opium. How about that? Ok, Opium then, is wonderfully honest and gives and gets lotsa hugs. Though I've discovered we don't have quite as much in common as I thought, it doesn't seem to matter...we have a lot of common ground anyway. I can't wait to see her again. -Robyn

Ahhh...Rachael's a beautiful tentative forthright compassionate chika who asks the coolest questions and loves her imagination ~Jenny

Rachel is learning and growing rapidly. She tries her hardest and has body language that is interesting to observe. (No, that was not a perverted comment.) - Liam

rachael looks like a pixie, or a pisky, and bounces around like one too. she always is bouncing from one place to the other, she's wonderful to cuddle with, she has a great smile and lovely doe eyes, and she's fun to kiss and hug. love love love! mwah *k*a*t*e*

rach(a?)el is real... she wasn't afraid to come up and say she wanted to talk to me, but then didn't let me get the "oh-aren't-i-hip" swelled head because of it, either. she quietly insists on respect. and you get it here, dear girl. i wish we'd spoken more at camp. jessica (witch baby)

Zinnie, I'm wildly envious of you. You're the coolest. You've always got something interesting to say, you fight the real problems, and you show me how to live life. Charlie