Instagram story viewer> @bethdjenkins> Posts

Beth Dufour Jenkins

@bethdjenkins

1.3K

followers

2172

following

Wife to @andrewejenkins + Mom + Biblical Counselor | Growth + Freedom + Purpose | Content Creator + Digital Mkt Solutions

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

My sweet, kind, beautiful Annie.

Happy Birthday, darling.

Everything about you makes life better. You are pure joy. And we are so proud of you. 🤍

I hope today—no, I hope the week—has surprises around every corner + love everywhere you turn.

I love you! Happy two three. Feels like yesterday you were learning to walk. 🥹 @anna.carrr taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

19

4

2 days ago

17 years old today. Not even sure how we got here so quickly. All the feels lowkey blindsided me this week. Swipe for deeper thoughts 💭 it’s the last pic for me ➡️

He’s rehearsed the same speech, mostly at bedtime when we would say our prayers, since he was 4 years old, “Mom, I WILL be a football player and you CANNOT be a dream killer, ok, Mom?”

He quietly tends to my fear of injury by doing his part to prepare & recover. This season I’ve watched him take a proactive approach by going to PT and even chiropractic care to prevent past injury from showing back up to steal the show. Seems small to someone that doesn’t see his daily discipline. I think it speaks more to his character than his effort. He doesn’t make decisions lightly. This makes me proud, Isaac. Truly. I see how responsible you’ve become when no one is watching.

I’ll admit, watching you play is big fun—watching you learn the qualities, character & discipline of what a winning team looks like on and off the field is the real win. You’ve always been so curious about how life works… like the time—➡️

He has always been so curious and so LITERAL. Still is. Isaac age 5 made the whole internet laugh. #IYKYK #belikeisaac

The older he has gotten, he’s asked me not to post so much. And I’ve honored his request. But something deep down, says he’ll be ok with this one. Because the older he gets, I think he’s also beginning to value the quality of relationship over the words that fit into this grid. I know I am.

So, I will start my day now…thankful he was born. Thankful his dad and I both get to be such an active part of shaping who he is becoming. Isaac, you have so many people in your corner, supporting and loving you.

So to Isaac age 17, never forget Isaac age 4. You may not remember the early years, but I do & I know, by design, they formed who you are today. And your choices today will shape who you are tomorrow.

Happy happy Birthday! taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

55

13

2 months ago

taken in Crown Hall by @bethdjenkins

55

11

2 months ago

Shout out to all the parents out there who successfully took a first-day-of-school pic. Two thumbs up for those of you who had printed signs. I once was that mom. Well, I never did the printed sign, but still.

Only one biological child still in school. Not that the other 2 don’t count. I just know their mom def successfully took first-day-of-school pics. I just know it.

I did not.

Total fail.

But in my defense, you didn’t see the look on his face or the pace at which he was leaving. They legit said, I double dog dare you to ask me for a pic.

So I didn’t.

And you know what? I’m okay with that.

So I’ll post this one, taken a few days ago, to mark the first day of 11th grade. A season where football may actually feel more important than school. Not because he won’t make sure he makes his grades and does all his things, but because our school gained a new coach this year with a solid perspective on leadership, and that kind of thing is contagious.

He has the community coming together for more than football, and it turns out that when you model the behavior you want to see in the people you lead, something truly special starts to happen.

Which feels like a pretty good reminder for the first day of school.

Don’t underestimate the small things. The details. The quiet integrity of making sure what you say matches what you actually do, and what you do matches what you actually say. People notice. Kids notice. Communities notice.

Maybe that applies to documenting the first day too.

Document it the way you want to remember it.

Real. Authentic. Exactly as it was.

Even if the first-day-of-school picture was actually taken three days ago. 😂

Isaac—I see you! I see all the little responsibilities you quietly carry. I love you and I’m so proud of you! 🩵 @isaacbooth96 taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

41

7

2 months ago

🤣🤣 Sammy’s face in my dirty garage window is absolutely priceless.

“Excuse me… Mother? I believe you’ve made a terrible mistake.” 🐕‍🦺

He looks completely offended that walk privileges were revoked.

But they really weren’t. He was only moments away from taking laps around the neighborhood with Andy. He’d just learned that when I put on my walking shoes this early, it usually means we’re headed to the trail together.

I couldn’t help but laugh because his expression looked like he was filing an official complaint. 😂

And honestly… it feels pretty nice to be loved like that.

It also reminded me that even dogs can misunderstand us, just like the humans in our lives sometimes do. The difference? Sammy won’t replay the story all day. He’ll forget, forgive, and come running the next time I say, “Let’s go.”

Be like Sammy, friends. 🤍 #belikesammy taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

11

0

3 months ago

Life update… he’s real.

Meet Samson.

He’s every bit as sweet as I’d hoped.

Some of you probably thought I was a little crazy over the last six months while I was sharing AI images of the dog I dreamed about one day having.

But here’s the thing…

I believe all things are created twice.

Whether we’re aware of it or not, everything we eventually build, write, grow, create, or welcome into our lives exists first somewhere unseen. It begins as a picture. A prayer. A longing. A blueprint. We live from that inner world long before anyone else sees the outward one.

I wasn’t trying to manifest him or be silly.

I was simply paying attention to something God had been quietly growing inside of me.

And now… here he is.

What’s amazed me isn’t just him.

It’s how every little detail along the way reminds me that God was preparing more than a dog.

He was preparing me.

I didn’t ask for Samson specifically. I just knew there was a desire in me I couldn’t quite explain.

What I didn’t realize was that my husband was paying attention too + I am so thankful for him.

He connected me with Samson’s trainer, drove an hour on a random Monday afternoon just so I could meet him, and then gave me all the space I needed to decide. There wasn’t any pressure. Just a quiet, generous blessing that said, Let’s see what God might be doing.

I’ll never forget that.

At first, I wondered if I had the capacity.

Would another responsibility feel heavy?

Would I regret saying yes?

Instead, it’s been the opposite.

He hasn’t become one more thing to carry.

He’s somehow made me a better human.

As you can see in this picture, he has this instinct to simply draw close whenever he senses I need it. No agenda. No commands. Just presence.

And every time he does, I’m reminded that sometimes the things we think we’re rescuing end up rescuing something in us too.

There’s something sacred about watching something you’ve prayed for, prepared for, and made room for finally find its way into your life.

God’s timing is not lost on me. 🐕‍🦺 taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

23

8

3 months ago

This photo is 6.5 years old—about a year and a half before they moved to Florida. I’m pretty sure that timeline is right, but then again, my memory may have skipped some minutes.

They move back to Birmingham this week.

And I am beyond thankful!

Because my daddy is one of the kindest, most generous, strongest people I know. And I’ve missed him being a part of our everyday lives so very much.

Dad, I know moving is hard. But know that we are really looking forward to seeing more of you, and I will never again take that for granted.

I love you so much, and I see you. I see how thoughtful and wise you are. I’m thankful my kids get to spend more time with you again, too. They will be better because of it.

Thank you for all you do. Happy Father’s Day! ❤️ by @bethdjenkins

22

3

4 months ago

55 years of love.

Facebook memories brought a collection of old photos back to the surface today.

It felt right to share them all so that one day my grandkids can look back and see the two lovebirds who chose each other, over and over again, through every season.

Because 55 years of loving each other well is something worth remembering.

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad. ❤️

Thank you for showing us what faithful love looks like. We are all better because of it. by @bethdjenkins

32

5

4 months ago

To all the mamas raising creative kids,

There will be signs.

If it’s your firstborn, you may not recognize them for what they are because you have nothing to compare them to. You don’t know whether a 3 year old should be able to control watercolor on her own. You don’t know whether the way she sees color is unusual.

You just know she’s drawn to it.

But there will be signs.

Keep hanging her tools where she can reach them.

Keep letting her decide what color means.

Keep letting other people teach her.

And while you’re doing that, be thoughtful about who influences her.

Not every child who loves art will become a professional artist.

My daughter did.

Looking back now, I can see the seeds were there all along.

Nurture the gifts you see.

Help them develop the skills they don’t naturally have…business, finances, discipline, perseverance.

And believe what God says about purpose. Every person carries it.

Some people discover it early. Some spend years looking for it.

Creative people especially need room to create. It’s part of how they’re wired. It’s how many of them process the world.

You can tell them to get a real job.

Hopefully they won’t listen.

@artemmacarr I am so thankful for you!

You make the world a more beautiful place.

Your art reminds me that God always intended there to be ongoing beauty in every direction we look. The colors, textures, layers, light, movement, and wonder woven throughout creation were never accidental.

Beauty isn’t added as an afterthought. And your art is a reflection of that. 🤍 taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

10

1

4 months ago

I made a promise to myself when I got divorced that I would always make family time with their dad’s family one of my highest priorities, even though it no longer included me.

After 20 years of sending them off to the beach for an entire week without being on the scene, I’ve had enough hindsight to appreciate the wisdom in that decision.

It wasn’t always easy. In fact, there were some years it was harder than words can express. But I would pray, find my peace, and send them anyway. I’m so thankful I did. And still do.

Now, obviously they are grown, but I won’t sugarcoat it. In full transparency, I felt a residual sting when they left this morning that I didn’t see coming.

I don’t even know if sting is the right word. Maybe it was nostalgia. Maybe it was grief for a season that existed once and now only lives in photographs and stories. Maybe it was simply the realization that life keeps moving, even when your heart still remembers another version of it.

Whatever it was, it passed as quickly as it arrived.

When I pressed a little deeper, I realized someone probably needs to hear this: I deeply understand what it feels like to watch your kids continue the richest parts of a past life that you only get to experience through the memories they pressed record for.

Let my twenty-year testimony be a seed for those of you still raising children in the middle of the hard parts.

Make what is important for them as important to you as they are to you.

Make it easy for them to enjoy time away from you by not making their absence about your pain.

Divorce is imbalanced. It can feel unfair. Some days it still hurts more than you expected.

But there is something beautiful that grows when you stop measuring every moment by what was lost and start paying attention to what is being built.

Yes, that may sting.

But I’ll tell you what stings more: watching your children spend their adult years recovering from wounds they never should have carried in the first place. ❤️ I am so thankful mine don’t have to! by @bethdjenkins

20

4

4 months ago

We podcast. A lot.

We write. Publish. Record audiobooks. Build things. Launch things.

People ask what we do all the time, and there’s never been a tidy answer.

Today felt different.

I was leaving to run to the store when I turned around and saw him through the garage door. He was sitting there recording an audiobook he didn’t even write; out of the kindness of his heart.

At first glance, it looked like work.

But after the day we’d just had, I realized it was something else.

Earlier, we had lunch with someone he recorded on his podcast. What began as “work” has become friendship, because sometimes life has a way of reminding you that people matter more than projects ever will.

The book he was reading belonged to that story.

A grown son is carrying forward the legacy of his father, a man who was blind and has since passed away. Somewhere along the way, what could have remained a project became personal.

During lunch, our friend smiled and said, “I’ve never talked to a podcaster before.”

We both smiled. That stayed with me.

Because standing in the driveway later, looking through that garage door, I realized the work has never really been about the microphone, the books, or the recordings. Those are just the forms it takes.

What I’ve watched over the years is a willingness to become whatever the moment requires for the person standing in front of it.

Yes, he’s a podcaster, and if you ever get the chance to have a conversation with him, it’s pretty stinkin’ cool.

But what I saw through that garage door had very little to do with podcasting.

I saw a friend helping another friend carry a story forward.

I saw a son honoring his father.

I saw someone giving his time to a book he didn’t write because the people connected to it mattered.

Maybe that’s why I’ve never been able to answer the question of what we do with a single title.

Some days the work looks like a microphone.

Some days it looks like lunch with a friend or walking out a season that may only make sense once hindsight marks it…

And some days it looks like sitting quietly in a garage, helping make sure a story can still be heard.

Whatever it really is, I love it. � taken in Birmingham, Alabama by @bethdjenkins

21

0

4 months ago

Emma age 6 🩵 the cutest little burst of creativity in every sense of the word. 🎨 by @bethdjenkins

29

2

5 months ago