Jenny Lind letter to Catherine Stanley, 1858 January 4

Dresden 4 Jan 1858

Dearest Mrs. Stanley Methinks it is a long time since we spoke to each other and I greatly long to hear how you are and what you are doing [?] in [our?] days. First of all: God bless you a with a happy new year, in which all great sorrows may be withheld from you and yours and may God allow you to enjoy life in peace and happiness with those you love. I also have a little wish that you might not in this year 1858 forget me and mine but rather let us occupy the same

place in your kind sympa thysing heart as we hitherto have had the happiness of enjoying - you are dearest Mrs Honly how I am always selfish about your love! We are all thank god, very well. My little Jenny is a regular rosebud so fresh and fair - so strong so cheerful, she has now 7 teeth and is our great delight. Walter is very sweet to her and they both seem to love each other as two little alike beloved and cared for Children should do. Walter has since two month a nice lady teacher who comes every morning for 2 hours and regulates his plays and combines them

[notation] II 1858 January 4 [/notation] and beautiful almost continuous sunshine

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she will be in England in spring, when we also I hope will arrive there.

Dear Miss Stanley who sent my little baby such a nice collar and sleeves. May I beg of you dear Mrs Stanley to most heartily thank her for them and say that I very much admire the well done work - so orderly it was! and dear Mrs Vaughan who wrote me on account of the flanel please will you also be my interpreter by her and thank her for her kind words about my dear husband. on the 15th of Dec. last I was singing the Messiah in Halle for the erection of

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a Handel Monument there being his native place it was erected in a beautiful Church

I like the place in which I sang at Norwich but [?] where Handel was baptized and where our dear Luther once preached the day before was so gloomy- so foggy and dark - but during the Concert we had the finest sunshine so that the people looked so sunny all over the place and my heart sung with great thanks giving to the sun of reighteusness the childrens Christmas tree

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still standing. I never can submit to let this happiest time in the whole year pass away so soon as long as the large pine tree stands there with all its little ornaments I feel as if the saviour was still laying a babe in the Manger.

Well now - I have talked as my heart feels - have I been too tiresome and taken up too much of your time - please do forgive. my best wishes to my dear and sincere thanks for his book and with all the best my heart can feel I remain dearest Mrs Stanley Your dearest and loving child Jenny G.

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with preparation for leaving. My Otto is always the same working consciencious being who is nothing but love for me in fact I never saw a more moral, virtuous man. We have had a good deal of sorrow these last times having so much with Ham burg and Stockholm to do me of course have been in great anxiety for our friends as well as also for our own property although our money is very safe and well invested. my father in Land is one of the fallen in Hamburg and this was for Otto a great grief yet he is such a honest man and his affairs all so clear and well regulated, that nothing

but the general calamity has brought the good old man to ruin. We have now these new duties to fulfill yet have we decided not to go to Russia we [?] go so far away from the children the more so as the travelling thither in Winter seems to be of a rather dangerous nature and we could not take the responsibility upon us of risking our health and lifes for the gain of that miserable [money?] but we go to [Polen?] [Worschow?] etc and this can be done in the time of 7-8 weeks. We leave home probably about the end of this month. here has been unto now the finest weather so mild