When joking proves love

I had a conversation with a friend over the weekend where I was trying to arrange a meeting time with her. When she told me one, I deliberately added 30 minutes to that as a way of joking with her that she tends to be tardy, a condition from which I also suffer. She laughed a little but also denied it, basically saying, “I’m not quite that bad.”

In reality, she is, and I told her it really didn’t matter since I loved her anyhow. It’s not as though I would love her more if she became a punctual person. I have other friends who are punctual and whom I love dearly, but not more than her. In fact, it’s precisely because both she and I know that my love for her is complete that I can afford to be so honest with her. And this is the basic nature of unconditional love.

What would otherwise feel very much like rejection in the mouth of someone making acceptance of her conditional on better time skills should feel like the warm embrace of someone who loves her flaws and all. Oh what a joy it is to be known and loved so fully that we can endure being made fun of in our weakness!