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A photo of Aunt Minerva

Our Logo's Story

Aunt Minerva

There are people who influence our lives and deeply change us for the better. One of those people was my aunt Minerva.


When I was young, my parents worked multiple jobs. Tia Minerva would help take care of me and my younger brother while they were away. We were like any group of kids. Energetic, rambunctious, and always getting into trouble. And when we got into trouble, we lied about it.


“Get over here! Look me in the eyes” she’d say. She’d always get real close to us when she did this. “I see a little horsey running across your eyes. You’re lying to me.” and I would run as fast as I could to the bathroom mirror so I could see the horsey in my eyes for myself. That dang horse was always giving me away! Or rather, I was always giving myself away. By running to the mirror to see if there was a horse running across my eyes, she’d know I was lying. Whenever I was telling the truth, I’d stand tall and say “No Tia! Look again! It’s not there!” This worked until I was old enough to realize there never was a horse. Just me, running to the mirror.

In 2012, I was in my second year of residency at Houston Methodist Hospital. I was one of four residents chosen from applicants to continue my physician training at globally recognized institution. I was training in the heart of the medical center, learning from global leaders in medicine, and I was ready to quit. I’d worked for this career non-stop. I’d worked for years. But I was tired.

By this time, my beloved Tia Minerva had been in the hospital for months. I sat on her hospital bed with her while I broke the news. She gave my good look and deliberately told me “Come here and look me in the eyes.” I did as I was told. “I see a little horsey running across your eyes.”


I was dumbfounded. I tried to stand tall. “Tia, no there’s not. There’s no horse” I managed to choke through my tears. In all her wisdom she shared with me these words: “Dianita, tu haz nadado por aguas profundas para ahogarte en la orilla del mar.” Translation: “You’ve swam across deep oceans to come drown in shallow waters.” I thought of all the work I’d put into this career. I thought of the crystal blue- green waters of the beach that recharged my soul while I was in medical school. I thought of my aunt. My second mother. She believed in me more than I believed in myself. It’s her words that gave me the strength to finish. My aunt passed away one month after that visit in the hospital.


My Tia Minerva loved butterflies. She was strong, brave, and packed a lot of punch in a small package. As I embark on this journey of being a small business owner, I think of her often. I thought of her in the founding of Luminous Health & Wellness. It’s out of the love I will always carry for her, that I designed the Luminous logo as a butterfly with two faces looking at each other – her eyes looking into mine. The colors are that of the ocean – blue and green. Every time I look at my logo and I’m reminded of her belief in me that day at the hospital. I miss her and love her eternally. She would be so proud to see what I’ve accomplished.

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