Content warning: This letter contains mentions of suicidal ideation. Digital Collections provides access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prej..
Content warning: This letter contains mentions of suicidal ideation. Digital Collections provides access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. If you are struggling with suicidal ideation, please call or text the suicide hotline at 988. A letter from Albert Hafner to his fiancée Elizabeth Chandler in Massachusetts. He admits to Chandler he is very lonely and recently stayed in bed all day. He updates her about work and laments that he isn't doing something he is more passionate about. He complains about Florida Blue-Jays who screech nonstop while he bathes. He also admits he grows impatient waiting for his business to complete and has grown tired of Tarpon Springs. He sends a clipping of a letter sent from Maria Theresa of Austria to her daughter Maria Christina. He said his love for Friedrich Schiller's poetry aligns with his love for Chandler, as he now hears his favorite lines spoken in her voice. He insists Chandler ought to live in the South where it is warmer. Hafner reminisces to the day he met her, calling it the moment he got engaged. He said his friend had just died and he was depressed with suicidal thoughts, but he was meant to defy his sorrow so he could meet her.
