By Brenda Cannon Henley
While preparing to move into my new home about two years ago, I chanced to find a small, old galvanized tub stored high on a shelf in my outdoor utility room. Under my daughter’s (She Who Must Be Obeyed) watchful eye, I was getting a yes or a no on each object. Her question, “Why in the world would you want to keep that old tub? It is old and has a couple of dents and chunks out of the finish?”

She pointed out that I might use it twice a year. And, she was right, but my old friend brought back a lot of good memories and I remembered useful purposes. I enjoyed putting it out for outdoor parties, going to the beach, or sitting by my swing in the yard. I would fill it with soft drinks, lemonade, and bottles of water and load it down with crushed ice. It was a very popular contribution to outdoor fun and many a weary guest had been soothed by its cold content.

What made my little tub so durable and worthy of saving from the junk heap? It was a properly, old fashioned galvanized tub from the past. My Mama Cole had big #3 galvanized wash tubs when I was growing up at her house in Georgia. They were used for lots of things from preparing food from the garden, during hog killing time, and as our first swimming pools, getting scrubbed after each use.

What exactly is galvanizing?

Hot-dip galvanizing is the process of immersing iron or steel in a bath of molten zinc to produce a corrosion resistant, multi-layered coating of zinc-iron alloy and zinc metal. While the steel is immersed in the zinc, a metallurgical reaction occurs between the iron in the steel and the molten zinc. This reaction is a diffusion process, so the coating forms perpendicular to all surfaces creating a uniform covering.

The hot-dip galvanizing process has been used since 1742, providing long-lasting, maintenance-free corrosion protection at a reasonable cost for decades. Although hot-dip galvanizing has been utilized to protect steel for generations, the galvanizing process continues to evolve with new technologies and creative chemistries.

Well, I learned a lot I did not know about my little tub that I kept and brought with me to the new house. As I sat here thinking about the next time I would clean the tub up and use it, the thought occurred to me that the time honored process of galvanization is a lot like life. As we go through our daily duties, work our jobs, care for our families, win and lose, grow and fail, help or hurt, advance or retreat, we are being galvanized to withstand whatever comes our way.

If the past two years has taught us anything at all, we have learned we are stronger than we know, our processes are time honored and staunch, and though these brutal months that we will never forget have left scars and dents, we are still standing, still relevant, still useful, and can still serve the purpose for which God made us. Trust the purpose and His plan.

In giving more thought to this interesting process, I have decided the idea of galvanization in our personal lives is both good and bad. Like most things that happen to us, it is a matter of balance or control. We must think and pray and come to a conclusion about what and how much we will allow.

Some galvanization is good and even necessary to protect us in times of hurt and pain. If I had not shared painful moments in life as I had made my journey thus far, I would not have been tempered to withstand my beloved husband’s illness and death. These nearly eight years later, I’m still standing, but with new chips, scars, and dents.

On the other hand, too much galvanization can leave one cold, calloused, and confused. Our hearts are no longer sensitive, soft, and willing to serve those that need us. We must find and maintain that balance that is right for us.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788, or
[email protected]

[Jan-25-2022]