Why After Glo?

What’s in a name?

The word “afterglow” has always felt part of my story. My maiden name begins with the letters “Glo.” It’s funny, my full last name before marriage was, “Glogower” and growing up there was so much shame around it. People couldn’t pronounce it, my family name had a reputation, and it often left me feeling stranger than I already knew I was. My ancestors are from Eastern Europe, and my great, great grandparents were Jews that came to America through Ellis Island. Their names were shortened as they immigrated to this country, likely for the convenience of the English speakers. So maybe the shame comes from a deeper, more ancestral place. I like to think this reclamation of the Glogower name does them proud. I’ve grown to identify with the idea of glowing from the inside, out. Taking the thing that once brought us so much pain, and alchemizing it to be our greatest gift.

Afterglow literally means, “a pleasant effect or feeling that lingers after something is done, experienced, or achieved.” This is what I’m trying to guide people towards.

Committing to honesty and choosing consciousness isn’t easy, but when we do, we’re illuminated. Our glow becomes so expansive that we can’t hold it in, and we shine onto our family, friends, and community. That is the power of your after glow. You have the capacity to transform your life and the lives of those you shine on.

Shall we glow, you and I, while we can?