There’s No “Standing Outside the Fire” for Joel

This is 46-year-old Joel. He is one of the first participants I met at GiGi’s Playhouse. He participates in four different programs: GiGi’s Kitchen, Music Makers, Fantastic Friends and one-on-one tutoring. He is as gentle, kind and caring a soul as you will ever meet.

At our Fantastic Friends Halloween Party, he dressed as his favorite recording artist, Garth Brooks. That surprised no one because Joel brings a Garth Brooks CD to every edition of Music Makers and Fantastic Friends to sing along with him. In this photo, I am “playing guitar” to accompany him on one of his favorite songs, Standing Outside the Fire. It’s a song that is always well-received, and I think I know why.

“Life is not tried, it is merely survived If you’re standing outside the fire.”

In many respects, Standing Outside the Fire supports the reason GiGi’s Playhouse was created. Our founder, Nancy Gianni, insisted that her daughter GiGi never be on the outside looking in. And Joel’s mother, Kay, depends on GiGi’s Playhouse to do everything possible to allow him to participate in his world, too. And in our world, too.

I shared these sentiments with Kay in asking permission to introduce Joel to you in this post. She was more than happy to oblige, and she also shared with me a music video for this song that I’d not seen before. Watch it and you’ll see why this song is so significant to Joel and Kay: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x84tsm6

Thank you, Joel, for helping me understand.