and...a story for you...just so you know you're not alone.

The last time one of my siblings traveled via airplane with mom, she really said something out of line. She is, by nature, a kind person who would usually not say anything to hurt another.

She watched people boarding the plane, then said in a really loud voice, "I don't recall when I have seen so many fat people in one place! I don't know how this plane is even going to get of the ground with all these fat people on it!"

Good thing she is a little, sweet-faced elderly woman, or my sibs and I would be constantly defending her.

The other thing...just so you don't think she is dissing others who aren't like her...Mom is not thin. She isn't heavy, but no way is she petite, either. So, this wasn't like she was remarking from the point of view of someone who doesn't take up a lot of space.

We just try to keep smiling, knowing that she is not at heart mean-spirited. This old-age trip, as she calls it, has been one of many surprises.