Happy 13th Birthday to my Kenna girl! 

For all of our kids 13th birthdays my wife has asked people that have been inspirational in their life to write them a letter. Wendy then takes those letters and puts them in a scrapbook so that they can always look back on Godly advice. Thanks to all those who wrote letters to Makenna, they were very inspirational. I have included mine below...

Dear Kenna,

There is no better feeling in the world for a daddy to hold his daughters hand, it warms my heart! Whether we are walking to the barn, driving in the car, or walking through a shopping mall! When you hold my hand, it brings me joy and makes me happy to be your dad.

I remember the first time you held my hand! Before you were born I prayed to God that he would give us a little girl, I prayed that he would bless us with a sweet, happy, flowery, bow loving, Jesus loving, little girl who was creative and loved life! The first time I held you in my arms, your little hand grabbed my finger, your hand was to small to grab my hand, and I cried. You want to know why? Makenna Grace Holt, I cried tears of joy because you were an answer to prayer, God had blessed us with you and I can say as I look back on your life so far, he has far out did Himself, because you are much more than we could have asked for. As you turn thirteen there is some things I want you to know going forward as your dad:

#1 You will always be prayed for. Your mother and I pray for you on a constant basis, we pray for good health, that you make good decisions, that He protects you, and that one day when you are 35 (Yes I said 35) you will meet a man of God that will sweep you off your feet. We began praying for that man the day you were born, we pray for wisdom for you when the boys start asking you out! Please know I will FIGHT for you, there are evil people in this world and it’s my intent to protect you from them at all costs. The devil will also pull you away from where you need to be and away from God, I will fight to keep you close to Him. Please always know, that if I’m not there to hold your hand, your heavenly Father is always there to hold your hand… ALWAYS!

#2 I love you! I hope my actions have always proved that. I would do anything for you and our family, all you have to do is ask. That love is unconditional, I don’t care what you do in life, or mistakes you make. Please know my love will not stop. Now… it may not alway feel like love to you, but please know it is. This love also means that I will always be there for you, to talk to you, listen to you and give you a shoulder to cry on. if you just want to sit… my hand will always be available!

#3 You are smart! I’m always amazed at the grades that you and your brothers strive for and make. I appreciate the time and effort that you put in to make those grades. When I say you are smart, I’m not just talking about school. You are smart in decisions you make, I hope you will continue to do that. I hope you will continue to pray, ask for wisdom from wise people before you make your own, that is what make you smart, always seek the wisdom of old wiser people. Please don’t EVER let anyone tell you that you are dumb. if they do… they are not worth being around. You can do anything that you put your mind to, sometimes it’s just hard work. There will be times in life where you just need to take God by that and say… lead me!

#4 Don’t settle for second best! God placed you on this earth to accomplish big things. If you think about it, all of us have, on average, 75 years to do this. So… go after your dreams! Figure out early as to what God wants you to be. If I can ever assist in helping you figure that out let me know. Strive to be the best in all you do, right down to your chores and finding the career that will fuel your passions. Don’t settle on a future husband, set your sights high, God will honor that. When I say second best, know that there is no boy out there that will love you more than God. So make sure you and God are good because at times some boys won’t be worth your time. You see people should pull you closer to God, not farther away. If you find yourself being pulled further from God, you need to run from that relationship. 

#5 You don’t need to change! The author of the Book of Psalms say’s this to God: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Makenna God made you the way you are for a reason don't ever doubt that. Now we can always change for the better, but when you start changing the core of who you are, you are changing the way God intended you to be. For example, if you start to become mean and ugly to people, God does not like that! He does not like that because you are becoming something other than he intended for you to be. So be yourself and people will love you for who you are!

Just in case you missed it… Love you more than you will ever know. Your mom and I want the very best for you and we know that God has you in HIS hand!

LOVE,

DAD