It was a real pleasure while visiting Affinity Optical in Vernon, BC to see one of Ted Ohlsen's Carvings that was given to the team at Affinity by The Emily Dahl Foundation. His carving fits in nicely with the compassion and kindness that they show to all their customers. 

Ted's teachings are simple and deep. 

Take this lovely diamond willow in this carving. Ted will make you drift into the reality that it is much more than old wood on the forest floor. He will guide you through the reality that it has its own story to tell. A bird may have had a nest and raised a family in the branches of the tree. It most certainly provided shade and even in the end of its life, perhaps a home for ants. Same with the shiny rocks that tumbled down from the Rockies into the rivers of Canada.  They too have a life and a story.  

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. 

Ted Ohlsen, who lost his sight in a hunting accident, is well known for his wood carvings, which he says teaches people “to never give up.”

“I pick up a piece of wood and something just grows out of it,'” Ohlsen says.

Ohlsen says each carving has special meaning.

“The trees of this world remind us that everything in this world is connected,” Ohlsen remarks. “Even the mosquitos have a place in holding everything together. With kids, I tell them to hold one the shiny stone and make a wish - the spirit in the rock may make it come true.”

The Emily Dahl Foundation