Interview: An Interview With Deborah Hodges (Debbie)

The person I chose to interview was my friend Deborah Hodges (Debbie). One of the reasons for interviewing her was that we had not been in contact for several months and I saw this as a great opportunity to talk to her once again. We both live a very busy life and find it difficult to meet up like we used to do since I started school in 2012. Debbie and I met 17 years ago at the church that I had been attending since 1994. Shortly after meeting, we became the best of friends and we were inseparable until she had to move away to the far end of Portland, Oregon. I consider her more like a sister rather than a friend. Debbie enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family and friends when she is not working. She has such a gentle spirit

and always sees the good in people. She is an encouragement to others. This paper is a personal reflection of our conversation and will include incites that were discovered during the interview.
When Debbie and I sit down to have a conversation, I am always struck by how much she enjoys engaging with others and always seems to seek out conversation with anyone she meets.

Debbie is a very loving and caring person who consistently helps anyone she can even when she is unsure of them. She never expects returned favors. She is a very inspirational person and I love that about her. She was the person that inspired me to trust women. God used Debbie in my personal life to teach me how to trust women. This was a struggle for me in my marriage because most of the women would try to take my husband. Through Debbie, I learned it was not any women, but instead it was women who had no compassion for others. I believe this is why we became so close. Debbie believes God has led her to love others and by doing this she feels she has a purpose in her

life.
While that might be the case, she explains there is more than just loving your fellow brother and sister. In her mind, you need to love people unconditionally like God would love us. This is where our differences come into play. I struggle loving everyone unconditionally and I shared this with her. If someone hurts me or my children, I do not have any trust in them. Debbie is much stronger in this area and feels that true forgiveness helps you develop a love for that person that hurts you or your loved one. She tends to a deeper understanding of this when she shared that serving God is serving one another within the obedience to God and loving the unlovable instead of turning away for personal reason is serving him. Though I struggle to understand this fully, I appreciate her views and beliefs, maybe she is onto something that has not clicked in my brain at this time. The one thing that we both understand is that dependency on God is serving him.
This brings me to the next portion of our conversation which was discussing other religions.

Debbie firmly believes in Christianity and worries about those who have other religious beliefs. I, on the other hand, do not think in this manner. While I say am a Christian, I also see similarities in other religious believes. Recently, I completed an assignment where I had to choose a poem that was from a different belief system other than my own. I chose Hinduism. I had noted that the poem was practically identical to the teachings of Christ. Both stated you need to be supportive of your fellow brother and sister. I can not discredit another religion unless I have taken the time to truly study it and figure out if it would be considered the true religion. Just like I can not say for sure that Christianity is the true religion. Despite all of this, the one thing we both agreed with is that we found it irritating that some people try to force their beliefs on us even though we do not discuss our beliefs with

them.
Moving forward, I decided to inquire one of the questions that came from the discussion topics which was; what do you think spirituality means. My response was quite simplistic and I stated, I think spirituality could mean the depths of one’s morals and values by which a person lives by. Debbie’s thoughts on spirituality are that it gives her a reason to wake up every morning and a destination when this life is over. I think spirituality is much deeper than both of us had thought. Because of this, I am glad I am able to take this class so that I can obtain a better understanding of the term spirituality.
In conclusion, I think we both have a long road ahead about the subject of God and we both still have a lot to learn about spirituality. In any case, during this interview, I recognized both similarities and differences which I stated above. I think what is important is that we have a bond with one another and we except our inequalities. I am always mesmerized by Debbie’s kindness with anyone who is around her. She is kind and compassionate and does not hold back her kindness. I am truly blessed to have a friend like her.