Roasted Asparagus Salad & The Art of Listening...

"If speaking is silver, then listening is gold."

~ Turkish Proverb

For so many of us, talking is easy. Listening...not so much. Why is that? Perhaps it's your child recounting every single detail of their favorite movie *for the umpteenth time.* Or your friend explaining every single gritty detail of her messy break up. A relative offering their unsolicited advice on fill in the blank . A stranger rambling on about their political opinions. A spouse describing every single detail as they give you the long version of "the story."

Sweet Bellas, never forget the sheer beauty, wisdom and importance of listening....

Listening can be laborious and require lots of patience, but I firmly believe it demonstrates our love. Anytime we do something for someone that doesn't come naturally to us, it exemplifies our love for them. If listening were effortless, it would also be a lot less loving, yes? We also demonstrate our love for God by listening to Him, not just through obedience, but by really focusing on His words to us, by striving to understand its implications, and being intentional about responding.

As with anything else, listening gets easier with repetition. It may start out as a challenge, and you may find your thoughts wandering at first, but it does get easier with practice. In this situation, I'm convinced that nothing else says “I love you” like speaking less and listening more.

This salad is the last of 3 meals I had a chance to make both of my Grandmothers. It's another dish that screams Summer. It's light and crisp and a beautiful compliment to any main dish but also bold enough to stand alone, perfect to bring to a BBQ or girlfriend lunch.

For the complete recipe to this scrumptious Roasted Asparagus Salad, click HERE and visit the wonderfully talented Velva at Tomatoes on the Vine. She turned me on to this salad and you will love her presentation! She's a special soul and you will enjoy every moment discovering her world.

Mangia!