News reports are saying that “Angela’s Ashes” author Frank McCourt is gravely ill with meningitis at age 78. His brother told the Associated Press, “He is not expected to live.”

I think “Angela’s Ashes” is one of the first books I read as an adult that made me cry real tears.  McCourt’s story of heartbreak and humor, struggle and survival, is so genuinely beautiful as to warrant multiple reads.  His career as a teacher earns him further admiration in my eyes, and in the eyes of a world that can now only pray for a miraculous recovery for him.

As we send our good wishes into the universe, consider this Frank McCourt quote I just ran across:

“Happiness is hard to recall. Its just a glow.”

(image via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/16/frank-mccourt-gravely-ill_1_n_235659.html)