I'm so glad you were able to talk to her about Sam. He was a huge chunk of your life and her showing up today was just meant to be!
I remember speeding down a back road many years ago and being pulled over by a county policeman. "May I see your license Mam" and when I showed it to him...he said, "Are you Michaels mama?" They were childhood friends and we had a good laugh together about their youthful "excursions".
I felt warmed all day.