On the day Eli is born, his grandmother holds him up to the window, so that what he hears first is the wind, and what he sees first are all the places to love: the valley, the river falling down over rocks, the hilltop where blueberries grow. Everyone in Eli's family has a favorite place, and Eli will grow up knowing that no matter where the rest of his life takes him, all the places to love are right here, connected to a way of life that has time for affection and simple pleasures.
