Guide Around Me?

I've had a few odd things happen to me and I am hoping to get some advice regarding what I believe could be my spirit guide. When I was young, my parents often noticed me talking to and interacting with someone that they couldn't see. I would always look up at "them" from my crib and I told my mother that her name was Alma and that she came down to play with me. We don't know of anyone in our family with that name who has passed away. I also used to frequently tell my parents about my "old parents" and what they would let me do (I often did this when my parents wouldn't let me eat anymore candy). I can still picture those "old parents" and I feel it might have been a past life. While I have no memories of this, when I first learned about spirit guides about ten or so years ago, I thought back to that story and wondered.

I am now 23-years-old and since then, I have come to realize that I am an empath. I often feel some sort of energy around me that I now call my guide but I'm not entirely sure who or what it is. I have meditated on it and asked for a name and I got Karen in return. It does feel like a feminine energy and I feel very safe and content when the energy surrounds me. I have asked questions and gotten answers in return, though not right away. They usually come days later, in some way I was not expecting, but I always know it's the sign I needed and I'm immediately filled with a sense of warmth and I know it's her. I get the feeling that she is trying to teach me to be patient.

Recently, I've been wanting to build a better relationship with her. I do meditate often and ask what I can do on my end to help but I wanted to see if anyone here had any suggestions! Also, I still don't feel confident as to the name of this energy or that it is the same energy that I communicated with as a child, but I wanted to leave that information in here just in case. Thank you for any and all insight you can give me.

Ally