I can not remember.

I can not remember turning twenty-five. I have been trying, for the past week and it is just a blank. Twenty-five is a monumental birthday. How could I not remember?

I remember turning ten, I remember the pool party and my grandfather telling me now that I had hit "the double digits" I was really grown up. Yes, I was so grown up I couldn't even figure out what he meant!

I recall Sweet Sixteen, who can forget that? Sweet Sixteens in our family are heralded in with a charm bracelet. My bracelet of hefty links and one flat disk was a symbol of growing up. Before that jewelery was pretty much forbidden. I took my bracelet, the next day to the jewelers to have the disk engraved. Alone. I picked script Sweet Sixteen for one side, and, Love, Daddy, Mother, Micheal, Jondi and Stedi for the other side. A charm bracelet tells a long story, I am going to save that one for later.

I remember turning twenty-one. My good friend's birthday was three days later and our families celebrated together. Her older brother, who I had, had a crush on as a pre-teen played footsie with me under the dining table all night long, I loved turning twenty-one.

Twenty-two? My boyfriend then, husband now, orchestrated an everything pink lobster dinner party for me. Pink Squirrels, pink tablecloth, pink lobsters, pink cake. Pink sweetness.

I guess after that things start to get fuzzy, I remember lots of childrens birthdays, but not my own. Well, maybe thirty, I am not sure, was that the year of his grandmother's ring? The diamond I have worn every single day since? Who would know, it was August, in Maryland; and my son was born 37 days later.

Fifty was an unforgettable extravaganza. Family. Little island, big lobsters. But 25? I will keep thinking and perhaps turn up a photo to jog my memory. In the meantime, I can SHOW you what twenty-five looks like:

Lovliness, grace, hope, fortitude, freshness, calm, resolute, humble, sparkling, artistic, patient. As I have said here before, I have an Elizabeth. She is all these things and so much more. And she is twenty-five.