I met someone who knew a lady I was close with and it brought up all these old emotions.

Yes, the title is very vague. I don't really want to get into the details of what happened to her, but I'll mention that she was an absolute lovely lady and she was involved in my life when I was a teenager. She passed away in August 2018 and I still have trouble coming to terms with it, but I've learned to accept it and I can think about her more often now. I still cry when I do, but it's not as intense as it was before. I do miss her all the time, and I genuinely loved her like a mother.<br><br><br>I went to drop off a Christmas present I got someone, and the person I was dropping off to wasn't home. I got to chat with one of the residents, and I asked about the person who lived there. Somehow, I got on the topic of work and I mentioned a company I used to work at. This lady mentioned she knew someone from that company, and it was her. The lady I was talking to was friends with her. I felt absolutely speechless and I didn't know how to react. I felt a lump in my throat and all I could say was "Oh my gosh".<br><br><br>It's been a few days but it still felt weird to me. I felt like I got punched in the gut, and I couldn't stop thinking about it until yesterday. I just feel like I still don't want to accept that she is truly gone. I don't know. It felt like I was punched in the gut because even though I had been doing okay, it still got me. I don't know if I can describe it in words, but it didn't feel good. I wish I could just see her again, but I know I can't.<br><br><br>Anyways, it's 12:01 on December 27, 2022 in my time zone. This year will be over in a few days.