devotion or not?

Sometimes people's sense of devotion is a little over the top. I had an interesting conversation with the daughter of one of my patients and I can honestly say I am concerned about her definition of devotion. This lovely 40 something year old woman works 9-5 monday to friday and then spends the other 16 hours of her day with her elderly mother. EVERYDAY of the year. She does not have a family of her own, nor does she have any hobbies. Her mother is in hospital and she sits outside the ICU in the waiting room all day and night except for one hour when she goes home to take a shower. She lives 10 minutes away. I tried to get her to go home tonight so she could sleep in her bed and not in a chair. She would not agree to leave. I said, "leaving does not diminish the love you have for your mother. Your mother probably wants you to take care of yourself. How will you be able to care for her if you don't care for yourself?" As our conversation continued I finally said the thing I wanted to say, "what will you do when your mother dies? She is going to die one day, whether it's while she's in the hospital now or a year from now but it is going to happen. What will you do?" She could not answer me. I don't think she knows what she would do. Her entire life is her mother. I don't think that's what devotion to a parent looks like. I don't think that's what devotion to anyone looks like. I'm pretty sure devotion to someone else should make you more of the person you are intended to be. Devotion to another person should make you bloom like a flower not wither like a weed. I prayed for my patient's daughter as she walked away from me. I prayed that she would somehow come to understand that this life is a gift and that she would experience it to the full. I prayed that she would understand what love for her mother should look like. I prayed that she would be okay.