A favorite magazine, Virginia Living, had an article earlier in the year about kismet. The author decided it would be interesting to experience kismet in lieu of setting traditional resolutions for the New Year. This sounded brilliant, so I followed the author's footsteps and dropped resolutions in favor of enjoying the possibilities of kismet.

So, what happened? Well, there was the discovery of a horse named Flora who resided here in the early 1800's, which was an interesting coincidence aligned with the name of this journal, Floramont. I especially enjoyed finding this quote: "Flora is judged, by many good judges, to be the finest mare in Virginia..."

Speaking of horses, a fine bit of serendipity occurred when I was trying to find an image for another horse-related post. My kind and generous friend, Crystal, generously surprised me with her excellent artwork. She did not know that I was seeking such an image, but she knew how much I loved that painting. As mentioned in that post, there were a few other coincidences, such as the time I noticed a similar-looking horse on an antique tile. Little did I know that the painting would arrive in the mail shortly thereafter! What a wonderful gift!

Then, there was the post about discovering a book while re-decorating a room with a Dutch Sea Captain's theme. During that process, three Dutch books were unearthed from a mysterious blue box in the room. Two of the books were inscribed with a name. The lady's name just happened to be Flora. Yes, again, it evokes the name of this journal, Floramont.

Halloween brought an unexpected surprise while researching French roses in Virginia. Hoping to find such roses amongst the Commonwealth's historical gardens, I stumbled upon Hickory Hill, a home belonging to one of John Randolph of Roanoke's cousins and her husband, who also happened to be the son of John Wickham, a dear friend of Randolph. This dear friend was mentioned in earlier posts about the horses named Flora and Gascoigne. They were two of Randolph's favorite horses who were willed to Mr. Wickham. While I still don't know the fate of those horses, it was interesting to see that Randolph's relative brought roses from their ancestral home and planted them in her new abode near Richmond. French roses could still be found at the homesite in the early 1900's. Today, it has been restored and remains a privately owned dwelling.

Additionally, there were a few occurrences that left a profound effect. All I know is that God's plan is the best plan. Rather than reading more bits of serendipity from me, perhaps you can devote your own year to kismet. I hope magical things happen for you during the upcoming New Year of 2026!

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