By Carol Colvin

Every September, I pull out my autumn bin and start decorating. Come October, I layer in the Halloween touches. By November, Halloween makes its exit and in comes the Thanksgiving decor. Then, like clockwork, on December 1st, everything goes back to the garage, and out comes Christmas. This cycle repeats every year.

But here’s the fun part: every year, something changes. I let go of a few items—like the faded ghost wreath that hit the trash one year—and sometimes I add new treasures, like the snowman village that made its debut another year. No Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas ever looks exactly the same. I like to think I’m upgrading, bit by bit. Someday, my kids will inherit what I consider my very best holiday decor—and I’ll be laughing from beyond the grave as they wrestle with how to throw it all away without guilt.

The point is: each year, the holidays come around in a rhythm, and each year, my decorations are a little better than before—because I’ve let go of what no longer serves and added what brings more beauty, joy, or meaning. That’s how the Law of Rhythm can work for us—if we stay aware of it and use it intentionally.

Back in the spring of 1984, just after college graduation, Gary started his career in computer software. His first job paid really well, and we felt incredibly lucky. We moved to Spokane full of hope and big dreams: kids, a big house, and plenty of money in the bank. We were up.

Then we were down.

Gary was fired from that “great” job just seven months in—right before Christmas. I was four months pregnant. I still remember lying on our bed, crying for days. No savings. No income. A baby on the way. School loans and credit card debt up to our eyeballs. It felt like the world had collapsed.

But eventually—we bounced back up. In that time between jobs, we learned a lot. We learned to lean on God. We learned to accept help from our church, family, and friends without shame. We cut up our credit cards and got creative with what we had. We learned lessons we hoped we’d never have to use again.

Gary’s first job had been training people in software for the fruit-packing industry. His second job was selling point-of-sale software to video rental stores. It was hard work, but he made some sales and got to use his marketing degree. What he didn’t know was that the company was selling software that hadn’t actually been finished. Less than a year in, the company collapsed—and just like that, Gary was unemployed again.

Down again.

But this time, we weren’t as far down as before. I didn’t spend days crying. I didn’t fall into depression or panic about the bills. I trusted we’d be up again before too long. And this time, Gary took the experience and leveled up—he got better at presenting himself, sharpened his skills, and began aiming for the job he wanted, not just a job.

And when he landed that next job, we weren’t just “back”—we were higher than before.

Job number three? Selling medical billing and patient record software. That job led to a long career in medical software sales and sales management. But there’s no job security in sales, and that industry is volatile. So Gary got used to temporary unemployment, and I got used to the rhythm of it.

Each time it happened, my faith grew stronger. I became more emotionally resilient. Even when Gary left a job twice to start his own businesses, I didn’t spiral. I learned to respond by letting go of old habits that weren’t serving us and by adding new skills and perspectives—including a deeper understanding of the laws that govern success. I found ways to use my own strengths to contribute financially. I learned, through experience, that I could trust God—and that I could rely on universal laws to keep working.

Just like autumn rolls around each year and gives me the chance to refresh my home with better decor, our family’s financial ups and downs gave me the chance to take stock of what was in my mental, emotional, and spiritual “bins” and make upgrades there, too.

I don’t miss the plastic turkey napkin rings from 2003.
And I definitely don’t miss the crying and fear over money from 1984.

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