Yes, Rick and you are both right! There is absolutely either some karma or some exchange that would benefit you both. You each have a gift to give the other person, even though you probably won't know what that gift is until after. If they don't talk to you, it is good to make the first move and just approach them and say hello. They have something for you, and you have somehting for them, both of which would benefit you.
If you are interested in learning more about this, read The Celestine Prophecy, it goes into great detail about understanding why this is. It is not a coincidence that you were thinking of them before you saw them.
This just happened to me with a friend of mine from grade school that I had not talked to in years. I thought about her and then I get an e-mail from her out of the blue. There is work to be done here. If you don't try to find out what that work is, you miss a great opportunity!