Unwanted gain, unexpected loss

This weekend has been a series of reconnections with my past...specifically, with people from my past. First, from high school, a person that I was once very close friends with who later walked over me and used me. I have not spoken with this person in years. In that time, I've found out additional information about the ways in which she betrayed me when I thought we were friends. Enter the wonderful world of Myspace, the place where anyone can find anyone. I've watched the list of CHS '98ers grow steadily. In the back of my mind, I was always curious (and a bit concerned) about whether or not I would see her name appear one day. That day came last week, but I honestly did not expect her to try to contact me. I got a friend request from her over the weekend. Instantly the internal struggle began. Do I tell this person to fuck off and ask her if she is still a whore, a liar, and a crackhead? Or do I "befriend" her long enough to see what the hell she wants and try to get back some of the stuff I lost? (By "befriend", I mean only in the Myspace sense of the word...and by "stuff", I mean only one thing: money). I've asked several people what I should do, but I'm not ready to jump into anything yet. This is a blast from the past I was not looking forward to.
The second reconnection with my past occurred tonight. It was not a direct connection, as that is hard to do when you lose someone. I got a call tonight to inform me that one of my former coworkers passed away. I was employed at Cellular World while I was in college and I got pretty close to the people that I worked with each day. Mary was like a grandmother to me. I don't even think she was old enough to be my grandmother, but that is the most appropriate association I can make. She was someone that I greatly respected. This woman went through so much in her lifetime and somehow she managed to go on every day. She was incredibly strong, wise, and caring. After I left Cellular World and started my post-college career, I lost touch with most of my coworkers. However, I did see Mary from time to time at gatherings. She was always pleasant to be around, even on her worst days. Her death is a completely unexpected loss. It is a reminder to me that I should cherish every moment I have on this earth, because there is no way of knowing when my time will be up. Not only that, there is no way of knowing when I will lose those around me. I've always had issues with death, but that is not an issue for me tonight. All I am feeling right now is a sense of loss. I am going to do whatever I can to attend her funeral. It will be a major step for me because it will be the first funeral I've attended for someone I know. I went to my first funeral last year, when my friend lost her mother-in-law, whom I had never met. I don't know what to expect. I know it will be a very emotional time. Loss, even when it is expected, is never an easy thing to process. I want to be strong for her, because that is something I respected about her character and I want to do my best to honor her memory and her impact on my life. For her, I will celebrate the day that has finally come for her to be reunited with Michael again.

"To die completely, a person must not only forget but be forgotten, and he who is not forgotten is not dead." - Samuel Butler