Time and again, we’ve heard stories about how woodworking can be a therapeutic way to work through life’s tragedies and setbacks. Nobody knows this better than Jordan Abraham. Jordan, who serves in the Royal Canadian Dragoons, was injured by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009, just 38 days into his deployment.

“I suffered extensive injuries to my back, neck, and hip and was flown home to Canada where I underwent surgery and a long recovery process,” Jordan said. “To top it off, from everyone else who went to Afghanistan on my tour, I was the only soldier to be seriously wounded and sent home.”

Frustrated, hurt, and angry, Jordan eventually recovered from his physical injuries but was looking for an outlet for his lingering frustration. As luck would have it, his mother was looking to hire someone to build her a pergola. Jordan offered to do it, and as he immersed himself in the project he got hooked on woodworking.

“The feeling it gave me to turn rough material into something beautiful and functional raised my spirits and set me on the journey of woodworking.”

Today, Jordan takes pleasure in wood turning, making butcher blocks, Adirondack chairs, live-edge coffee tables, beautiful boxes, and other furniture. He takes inspiration from professionals like FWW’s Mike Pekovich, and expects his time at Fine Woodworking Live will help him improve his skills quickly and get faster results when he works.

That would be a good thing, he says. “Take it from me, our time is limited and you need to make the most of it.”