Thinking back on my mom today. She was a Catholic school teacher but, when she and my father divorced, the school told her not to bother coming in anymore. Shortly thereafter, our local parish told her to stop coming to church on Sundays. She grieved the loss of her community, her support network, but she didn’t give up.

One of my earliest memories was her waking me up to watch the Apollo 11 moon landing. She was so excited. She wanted me to see what you could achieve if you just believed in yourself and did not let people tell you what you were capable of. Years later, a moonwalker came to my school and told us “None of you will achieve anything special in your lives. The great age of exploration has passed you by.”

Two years ago, I spoke to 11,400 students in an auditorium in Alesund, Norway. I showed them this photo, then a photo of that bitter moonwalker. I told them not to let anyone set limits for them, that they were the only ones who could decide what they were capable of. Then, I told them what I say every time I achieve a significant milestone: “F*** you, G*** C*****!”

Happy Mother’s Day in heaven, Mom. Thanks for not giving up.