A lifetime Las Vegas resident and father of three grown children, Don spent 15 years as a licensed psychotherapist and speaker in private and hospital practices. Prior, he was part owner of an award-winning family advertising agency. Having fallen into addiction to crystal methamphetamine several years ago, losing everything to the drug, he has been clean since 9/4/11 and more sober about life with each passing day. The stories and content of this site are the accumulating epiphanies of his journey into sobriety, shared here to inspire others, especially those who remain embroiled in addictive battles of their own. LifeMeansSoMuch, the song title by Chris Rice (and you are highly encouraged to download it on ITunes or YouTube,) is the lyrical inspiration for the content of this site. Don is currently a life coach, author, speaker and manager at a non-profit, HopeLink of Southern Nevada.
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All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
Galatians 2:10 NIV
Cultures throughout history all consist of the haves and the have nots.
The best measures of our humanity and civility are found in how we provide for needs of others who are truly unable to adequately provide for themselves.
We are indeed our brother’s keepers (Gen 4) and the poor will always be with us (Matt 26.)
But poverty is no badge worn as an excuse for laziness.
No matter the extent of their lack, the have nots are always able to contribute something in return if not for the common good then for their own sense of belonging to and in a caring community. (Luke 21)
Everyone needs to be remembered and acknowledged whether their contribution is enormous or just a speck in comparison.
Let’s not also forget that as the haves of this world, we should be “eager” in our quest to provide for the have nots, driven to find meaningful ways we can make a difference for them.
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Galatians 2:21 NIV
For most, keeping your nose clean, following the rules, and being a good, decent human being seems a solid path to whatever lies beyond this life.
Wouldn’t it be great if that’s all it took?
Gaining a righteousness just from observing the laws as the Jews did will get you pretty far in this life but not far enough for the next
That last step has long been a stumbling block but a necessary one for passage into eternal life.
No matter how much we try, nobody begins or ends up sinless.
Belief that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to die and resurrect for us as payment for our sinful selves is the final step over the threshold into the kingdom of God who is able to do anything but tolerate the presence of unrepented sin.
Be good and follow your rules, yes, but to understand that faith and belief in Jesus is the final chapter completing your story is a whole new revelation testified to by the entire New Testament.
Christ didn’t die for nothing.
In this race called life, you matter to God and were made by him to be a winner.
The day will come when we check our morning calendars or draft an email and give little to no thought to the date in front of us or its historical significance.
Already, this newest generation has moved on to other critical issues and incidents which have formed their own years of life and are likely to affect their next and beyond.
It happens. The pace of events and changing news cycles is dizzying these days and few are able to keep track of both history and present.
It will be left to a generation of elders who are quickly passing on and into oblivion themselves.
But the day will come when America forgets to mourn and a sad morning that will be when there are no more tears and the promise to never forget is forgotten.
I bought a one bedroom home because it’s compact, quick to clean, and I can’t hoard too much stuff in it.
That said, while my best friend and I each live alone in our own homes, we spend weekends at mine because for a decade or more we were roommates in a two bedroom with Butch and we still enjoy our Three’s Company routine all together.
We all sleep in the same bed each night where the only kissing, touching and loving involves Butch who is pretty insistent on it.
Our arrangement often raises questions, eyebrows and disbelief in others except for us.
We get to enjoy our friendship and share love with our four-legged other best friend all day and nobody needs to miss a good night’s sleep banished to a sofa because of someone else’s eyebrows.
Nobody recoils at a fart or a foot touch and they both take all the covers since I sleep hot year-round.
Maybe we take best friends to a whole new comfort level for some but it’s how we roll and get to be roommates once again, even if just for a couple days a week.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
John 4:35, 42 NIV
Seeing is believing, but blessed are those who don’t see and yet believe.
The Samaritan woman at the well had a story to tell that changed her prospects of forever.
First thing she did was to share her experiences with others, unconcerned about what they might think of her.
No edits. No pauses. No concern for herself. Only that she possessed a life-changing experience which compelled her to want the same for those she cared about.
Waiting for the promised Messiah was over.
Hard enough to believe that a Jew would even consider holding a fraternizing conversation with a Samaritan—and a woman at that—hearers of her account had plenty reason to believe she’d lost all her marbles or something funny was in her well water.
But her very personal account that had disclosed her sin promised the acceptance and forgiveness for which she’d undoubtedly yearned.
“Take it or leave it, this just happened to me.”
Our very personal encounter with the living Christ is our take it or leave it story to share.
It’s not our place to argue its veracity, only to present it at the feet of others and to watch the spirit of God move in hearts and minds of others.
Seeing is believing, but blessed are those who don’t see and yet believe.
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
John 3:12 NIV
Faith begins with trust in the simple, foundational truths before God reveals deeper insights.
We must learn the alphabet before we are able to read.
The meat of God’s word is found in reading the Bible and comprehending the message in its context, geopolitics, and history. A hefty study indeed.
We all have scrolled into a teacher or truth well beyond letters of the alphabet and the light suddenly comes on.
Here was Nicodemus, a trained teacher of the law, encountering an entirely new message and without having already established a personal relationship with Jesus, he was in the dark.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NIV
Without a John 3:16 moment, the world fails to understand or embrace the testament of Jesus and his enlightened followers.
We are called to show others the ABCs of our faith and the Holy Spirit will take it from there and teach them to read.
I was triggered when my friend turned on the first episode of one of those self-selecting team survival shows when after 15 picks, one person remained alone on the line unselected.
From as early as I can remember, whether among the neighborhood kids or in my schools I was always the last pick.
It does something tragic to the development of a little boy considered a liability when all you want is for someone to believe in you. To choose you. To want you.
This was such a pattern in my developmental history I’m surprised I haven’t shared this story until now.
I’ve never been athletic or gifted with obvious skills and have since counted myself among the freaks and oddities like a misfit toy on Christmas island.
Later in life, to encounter the love and acceptance of a supremely gifted stranger who chose me first to be on His team was literally the answer to my lifelong prayer.
Jesus knew my worth and giftedness and I had finally found a place where I belonged, oddities and all.
Dear Members of the Board of Regents and UNLV Leadership,
As a proud graduate of UNLV’s Class of 1984 and 1989, I write to you not only as an alum, but as the son of the man who created one of the most iconic and beloved symbols of our university — the Hey Reb! mascot. Bring Him Back!
My father, Mike Miller, was a gifted, Disney-trained artist who devoted much of his life to enriching the cultural and visual identity of Las Vegas. In 1982, he was asked to create a new mascot for UNLV that would be free of the Confederate symbolism of earlier figures, but still embody the rebellious, independent spirit that defined UNLV’s origins and student body. What he gave the university — for just $1 — was a character drawn from the lore of the American West: a mountain man, a trailblazer, a fearless symbol of boldness and individuality. Hey Reb! wasn’t just a cartoon — he was the spirit of Southern Nevada made visible.
This wasn’t just a design job to my dad. It was personal. He was deeply inspired by the grit and creativity of early settlers, pathfinders, and yes, rebels — not of war, but of spirit. The name Hey Reb! was intentionally playful, inviting, and inclusive. When the mascot made his debut at the UNLV-UNR basketball game in 1982, he was met with celebration from students, athletes, alumni, and the wider Las Vegas community. And once again, at last night’s UCLA v UNLV football game, the spirit of Hey Reb! was reawakened with a fervor.
For decades, Hey Reb! stood proudly as a unifying symbol on our campus. His image appeared in national commercials, championship celebrations, and even inspired a life-size bronze statue funded by alumni. In 2011, my father was formally recognized by the UNLV Alumni Association for his contribution, and Hey Reb! stood beside him at the Thomas & Mack Center — a moment we, as a family, will never forget.
My father passed away in 2014 after a battle with cancer. We were honored to have Hey Reb! attend his memorial service. To this day, seeing that mascot reminds us of him — of his heart, his art, and his deep love for UNLV.
Unfortunately, in recent years, Hey Reb! was removed amid public misunderstanding and misinformation — often based on an assumption that he bore Confederate ties. But the truth, as documented in the official 2015 diversity report commissioned by UNLV and led by Dr. Rainier Spencer, could not be clearer:
“The Hey Reb! mascot was designed expressly to be an 1800s Las Vegas pathfinder and to not have any Confederate connection whatsoever… His clothing is Western, not Confederate… The historical record shows this to be an erroneous claim.”
The report also emphasized that the Rebels identity — including the mascot — never represented racism or racial exclusion. In fact, Nevada Southern (UNLV’s predecessor) was racially integrated from its early years and stood in contrast to the segregation that marked much of the South during the same period. As one African American UNLV alum put it in the report: “We were proud to be Rebels… there was never any racist undertone.”
So now, I ask you — not just as a son and an alum, but as someone who has watched a piece of our university’s authentic, homegrown identity be erased — to reconsider and restore the original Hey Reb! mascot. Bring back the symbol that was created not in hate, but in hope; not with exclusion, but with inspiration.
In doing so, you will not only honor the truth, the art, and the spirit of Mike Miller’s creation, but you will also honor the UNLV community — past, present, and future — who still see Hey Reb! as a source of pride, unity, and school spirit.
The time is right. The support is growing. And UNLV, once again, has the opportunity to be a bold leader in reclaiming its own history with clarity and courage.
With gratitude and Rebel pride, Donald Stewart Miller UNLV Class of 1984 & 1989 Son of Hey Reb! creator Mike Miller
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV
While aging is served at our table with sides of illness, fragility, and wrinkles, being up in years also yields dessert portions of maturity and wisdom.
Inward growth is our senior superpower.
As an elder now, I have greater confidence and clarity on issues and the most important things I had always sought when I was a younger man.
Renewal of mind, position and purpose are commodities traded for beauty, agility, and all the passing attributes of youth we once cherished.
When I depart, I’ll take a renewed mind and leave a renewed philosophy for the world to remember me by.
Not a bad trade for the end game if you ask me.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
