Last modified: Friday, July 3, 2009 2:19 AM EDT Lessons drawn from four tragic deaths BY TARA VOCINO FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE The saying goes, "Only the good die young." Within the past month and a half, three of my friends and a family member - all of them young - have passed on. As a Christian, I believe that everything happens for a reason, especially what most people consider tragic. I'm from the North Shore, and these young people were, too. First, there was Jeffrey Reese, 21, of Lynn, whom I had known since elementary school. He was a neighbor of mine and he died suddenly at his home. His death teaches us that life can end at any minute, and that we must be grateful for what we do have. Then, there was Mike Zarba, 22, of Lynn, who sat behind me in high school psychology class and crossed the graduation stage shortly after me. Mike was the victim of a hit-and-run accident while crossing the street to go to work at Home Depot in Salem. The local and Boston news outlets publicized the incident, including his lengthy coma and death. The story was on air for weeks in hopes of finding any information about the driver. I attended a vigil at the scene of the accident, which was also on the news. At a nearby telephone pole there are still many candles from the vigil along with a photo memorial. This crime teaches us that regardless of our efforts to live safely, sometimes life takes sudden turns that are uncontrollable and we don't realize why until several years later. Following Mike's passing came the death of Sean LeBlanc, 21, of Saugus, with whom I made my Confirmation. He crashed into a tree inches from Riverside Cemetery while driving around a sharp corner after a graduation party at the Saugus Elks. Speeding was deemed to be a factor, and the accident teaches the importance of driving safely. The tree that Sean struck now overflows with memorial flowers along with a beanie baby and chips of bark that the crashed ripped away. This week, a relative, Thad Pasternak, 33, of Goffstown, N.H., died after a brief battle with esophageal cancer. His wife and my cousin Erin, originally of Danvers, lived and slept by his bedside for months. His death tells us that true love never dies and that his legacy will live on through others' love for him in my family. Even if you didn't hear about these deaths in the obituaries or on the news, they teach that life on Earth is short. While challenges lie ahead, we should treasure the time that God grants us before we move on to another world. Tara Vocino is a student at Wheaton College and is interning at The Sun Chronicle this summer. She can be reached at vocino_tara@wheatonma.edu.