For the past 12 days, Hungarians everywhere have commemorated the anniversary of their short-lived and costly freedom in 1956. That brief taste of liberty ended 52 years ago today when Soviet tanks rolled in to quash it. Here in the States, we’ve always enjoyed freedom (perhaps to the detriment of taking it for granted) and today we get to express that by voting.

Today is important to me for two other reasons. It’s my birthday and it’s also my husband’s birthday. While we love sharing our special day, it just doesn’t feel like much of a celebration this year. The last two years, we’ve each reached a huge milestone and that makes this one feel rather ho-hum, with no zeroes attached to our ages. After arriving at such landmarks, the years following fly by at an alarming speed. What? Another year? I thought I’d be holding at 50 for a while. You mean I’m moving on? There hasn’t been a big build-up for today. Unlike a year ago, I haven’t spent months sorting old photos and gathering memories from Steve’s friends and family to create a once-in-a-lifetime album for him. Today feels, well, anti-climactic.

Besides, election day is overshadowing everything today. And both of us feel a little under the weather with sniffles we’ve caught from being out in the weather. So this year, we’re quietly thanking God for another year of life while honoring the 52nd Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. Boldog napot kivanok, Magyaroszag!