Probably for 27 years now I have found myself in multiple situations where someone asks “what is the most unique, the most special thing you can tell us about yourself” and for job interviews and summer camps, first days of school, yearbook entries and newsletters my response has always been the same: I’m a twin. And even when years passed and those same friends asked me that same question...I would still respond with a smile and a steadfast grin and say “I’m a twin.” Because out of all the things that I am...this is the one part of my identity I am most proud of.

For those of you who don’t know me. I’m Bri Amoscato “Nick’s twin.” And I’ve been introducing myself as this for as long as I can remember. In fact, one of my favorite stories my mom loves to tell is when she woke up one night in a panic realizing as youngsters, we may not identify with just being ourselves. To her dismay, when she ask Nick in his toddler form who he was he responded with “Nicholas and Brianna” and when she asked me the same question...I responded the same my name is “Nicholas and Brianna.” At the time she was in a chaotic panic. But this was probably just the first of many signs that we would be lifelong partners and best friends. Because though we are our own people, a small fraction of our identity lies in the other person and that...is pretty whimsical

I’m not the best at speeches, but I do quite enjoy poetry and so I’ve written a poem free-verse of sorts with life lessons that Nick has taught me as a person and I know Tesin will now take with her as they begin this new journey together...

Dearest Nick,

When I look at you, I want you to know

that coming into this world with another person was like waiting for the sun to rise except I never had to wait because you made sure that even if the sky was dark your crayon had that golden magic that would light the world with all the blues and reds and purples encouraging me to jump through the colors even if there were none..because we could still play the sunset...and we always did.

When I look at you I want you to know that you taught me the world is more beautiful when we stop talking about ourselves and start looking at the world around us- never once saying a word about you unless someone asks-eyes caught in a lens capturing everything beautiful around you taking in your 8 miles “short jogs” me choking down air while you pointed out things like “Look at the pink sky” or “look at that brickwork” when I could barely breath but kept flying just to make it to the other side- because there was nothing better than making it to the other side with you.

When I look at you, I want you to know that creating ourselves together was probably the best part of our friendship-the adventures were always simplistic but beautiful like those six hours a day we would spend in the woods building forts or our micro soccer days and games and practices, that restaurant with fake paper food we set up in Queens New York cooking paper eggs and bacon or those silly birthday parties we had where we would have our two cakes and even though they were separate, in my heart I always knew we were making the same wish at the same time with the same spark in our eyes...now I can reveal my wish to you during my childhood days: my wish was always that “we would never be apart” and so far..that wish has come true

And there sure have been times when we have fallen down rough waves hitting us so hard that sometimes we don’t know where to go-saltwater in our mouth and scraped knees but a band-aid was never needed because a warm thought and the belief that I could was always what you gave me. The only one who could dry my tears and shut my locker when I was fashioning a bright orange cast,  A twin by day but dream-catcher at night you have always been the green grass with the flowers on the hillside opening the gate making me believe that with some new wings and a gentle heart we can fly through any locked entrance without a key..only if we try

When I look at you I’m flooded with memories of music and stages and jazz concerts, your talented saxophone soaring always at the thought of us playing the keyboard separately, anxiety flooding over our fingers only to have the real keyboard fly with two sets of hands practicing duets for hour upon hours and learning to listen not to ourselves but to each other because the hardest gift to learn in this world is the delicate hum of silence as we listen to the aches and the sorrows, the challenges but also joys of others..sitting side by side on that piano bench taught us to do that. To stop. To breathe. To smile. To listen. To live. Choking back tears when you played you PMEA state Jazz Concert in Philadelphia –heart soaring with pride at your raw talent you taught me we are always creating the melody hidden within this world because it doesn’t sing alone...it never does

When I look at you, I want you to know that you have always been my role model, my greatest teacher, my twin, my engineer, my most trustworthy friend, the one I look up to, what I consider to be the bravest, the kindest, the most intelligent being in this world who gives to others and never expects anything in return. When you aren’t a software engineer doing lord knows what (sorry Nick but I still cannot quite articulate what it is you do all day as it is far beyond me) you are helping students in the Pittsburgh area find their dreams too- Reminding myself everything beautiful I have experienced in life...I have experienced with my life mentor-and the ultimate mentor you are.

And now I smile when I look at you, all those childhood memories passing by so very quickly like tennis shoes running on asphalt, the mark may fade with time but those steps have left imprints on the world forever dripping with the sunsets we painted on the screened in porch in Chincoteague, Christmas’ spent in Buffalo, laughs with relatives and  potraits and pictures floating by so fast...they sometimes become a poetic blur and I always wish time could slow down just for a minute

but those memories will never be forgotten

flying forward as your shoes are joined by two new beautiful shoes who have come to know your whimsy and your smile, and who compliment so wonderfully the melody you have shared and continue to share with a world you make so much more beautiful just by being you

and she makes so much more beautiful by being her.

Because when I look at Tesin look at you I know that she recognizes the whimsy inside of you and with your first coffee date and the smile that you came home with, I knew immediately that this was it-you had discovered the whimsy inside of her as well-that you would marry her one day because she had captured your heart with her smile and her kindness, her talents and her heart full of wisdom and understanding-allowing you to see the world through an even more beautiful lens

Perhaps not by chance that we both met our spouses through each other-just another gift of twinship that will never be forgotten-

Hopefully now you have realized that being a twin is just a multiplication of love – an everlasting gift of love that surrounds all-

Because if you haven’t caught on to the lesson of this poem already...you don’t have to be a twin to realize this one gift you have both been gifted in life...a gift Nick that you now can pass on to Tesin  and that is... life is so much more beautiful..when there are two.

May you love one another until the end of time. May you both see eachother’s beautiful hearts each and every day you wake up....and as Nick said it best before you engagement

“You know Bri...the best part about this is...someday our kids will grow up beside each other and become best friends, too

Perhaps this will be my new birthday cake wish as we continue to celebrate life side by side. Wishing you both the most beautiful life adventure ahead-far greater than any you have left behind