Two weeks ago we attended a wedding of two close friends. At the reception afterward, a friend of the bride requested to sing a song with the band. The band approved, but I’m sure thought to themselves, “Oh, boy, this should be a sight.” Well, it was a sight—the woman delivered the most rip-roaring, heart-warming version Janis Joplin’s “Me & Bobby McGee” the crowd had ever heard. This earned her the nickname “Little Janice” for the rest of the evening.

September 11 was still fresh in everyone’s mind, and the song resonated with the crowd. Thinking back now, one line from the song (though a bit out of context) stands out as particularly sobering:

Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose…