Have you experienced a life-changing event that began on the closet floor?

Paul Taylor did. This singular event occurred late in the afternoon on Friday, March 6, 1987. The tranquility of the morning's beauty shattered when Paul answered the phone. Shocked to hear his wife's anguished words, "Mark has Down syndrome." he collapsed to the closet floor.

So began Paul's odyssey from despair to eventual gratitude for the gift Mark is. His wife's words, the apparent harbinger of permanent darkness, would instead become the lighted beacon, beaming brightly, dispelling the blackness, and opening his eyes to one of his family's choicest blessings.

The road has not been easy. Those on a similar journey know the same. It taxes one to physical, mental, and emotional limits. But Paul would not trade his journey. Why? Because living with Mark helps Paul continually reassess his life. Several core concepts developed from this relationship:

Mark's positive influence teaches Paul to be a better person.
Assisting Mark in his unique needs provides Paul the opportunity to look outward and be more observant of those around him who may need assistance.
Mark's life demonstrates spiritual lessons we need to learn for eternity.

What will you find in Mark and Me?

Paul writes as a father outlining his road of discovery, the challenges faced from Mark's birth to today. Additionally, the book includes different but complementary voices from others who know Mark, which affirm the premise that those who are disabled inﬂuence people around them. Do not expect a guide on How to Raise a Child with Disabilities. Instead, it celebrates an individual life, one whose disabilities are unique gifts to bless the lives around him. A more accurate title might read, How to Train the Father of a Child with Disabilities.

The book will engage the reader with more than 80 stories, vignettes, and lessons, which are funny, poignant, surprising, scary, profound, and spiritual. Read the Snow Cave chapter where Paul and Mark were buried in a collapsed high mountain snowbank, and when Paul, believing they would undoubtedly die, was overcome by multiple waves of Divine love that words are inadequate to express.

Read how:

Mark's purchase of a Santa Claus suit developed into a much larger story touching not only those directly involved but others who followed on Facebook.:
Mark's definition of "favorite," which means everyone, has taught Paul to judge less by the outer trappings and see people as Mark does without judgment.
Mark's definition of "hurry," which is limited to one speed only, teaches Paul to slow down, observe, and enjoy people, situations, and circumstances that he would usually not notice.

Mark demonstrates qualities we can incorporate into our daily interactions more fully. How different would life be if we all adopted more of the qualities manifested by Mark and his peers?

Beyond these beautiful qualities, there is an even greater one. Mark demonstrates the virtues we must refine to enjoy eternal life. Mark's barber summarized this by saying, "Mark is where God is trying to bring the rest of us."

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