Where are my bookmarks?

I just had a Mozilla/Firefox update. After it was done, Firefox opened. So far so good..... When it opened, the very first thing I noticed is that my bookmarks button was not on my toolbar. The second thing I noticed is that all my bookmarks are gone. GONE!! I use and count on these bookmarks daily, and not they are nowhere to be found. WHY? This is not the first time that Firefox has had an update and has changed my settings and lost things. Updating is one thing, but there is no reason why Firefox should be changing settings - and now, in this case, wiped my bookmarks clean. Any help? I'm frustrated and angered that years of bookmarks are gone...... Can anyone help me? Thank you.