Walter Green sold his events company after 35 years.

Then he said to his wife, “Honey, I’m going on a year-long trip.”

She probably, of course, had questions.

His reason was simple, if not audacious.

There were 44 people in his life who he wanted to speak with. Who had shaped him in meaningful ways. These were the folks Walter looked back on as having made a difference, teaching him something, or who were there when it mattered.

Walter’s plan was to tell each of them, in person and to their face, how much they meant to him.

So he traveled the across the U.S. Visited all 44 people. Said what needed to be said while they were still alive to hear it.

When he came home, he started the Say It Now movement.

Simple message and one of those ones I think anyone can hear:

Don’t wait for someone’s eulogy to tell them how great they were. Tell them now. While they can still hear you. While it still matters.

Wanting In

The graphic recording network is small. We are a group of people who stick together and a referral from a dear friend is what set up my introduction to this book project.

When I first read about Walter’s project, had the chance to meet with him, and learned he was writing a book, I had an immediate reaction:

I want to be part of this.

Wanted artwork attached to a message that mattered. Something that could change how people treat the people they love and reshape how they live their lives.

The Say It Now philosophy aligns with this, and how I want so much to wake up each day. Creating things that help people see what’s important while there’s still time. Making the invisible visible. Turning big ideas into something you can hold onto.

So I said yes. And, over the course of six months between the tail end of 2024 and into the spring of 2025, I worked on illustrations for this book.

The Book

The Gratitude Express hits actual and digital book shelves on January 27, 2025.

Hardcover. National distribution. It'll be in stores across the country.

And my illustrations are throughout.

Each piece was hand-drawn. Some took three or four hours to complete. Detailed town scenes, landscapes, emotions and expressions, the train on the front cover.

I'm proud of this work. Sure, in part because of where it will be seen and who endorsed it (Peter Attia! Simon Sinek!), but because I genuinely believe in what Walter is saying.

Don't wait. Say it now. Tell people what they mean to you before it's too late.

More to Come

In future newsletters, I’ll share some behind-the-scenes looks at the illustrations and parts of the process of what went into creating them.

The creative process. The specific pieces. How something starts hand-drawn and ends up in a nationally distributed book (which honestly, still feels weird to say, but it’s awesome).

There’s a lot of story here.

And of course, if you want to support this project or if the Say It Now message resonates with you like it did for me, I hope you’ll pick up a copy.

The Message

The main point, I think?

Walter Green didn’t wait. He didn’t assume those 44 people knew what they meant to him. He didn’t save the good words for later.

He went and said it. Face to face. Before it was too late.

If there’s someone you’ve been meaning to say something to, don’t wait.

Not until the birthday card. Not until the holiday. Not until the funeral when they can’t hear you anymore.

Say it now.

I’m so (so, so, so) grateful to have been even a small part of bringing this message to people.

Grateful that this artwork is part of something so meaningful.

Grateful for the opportunity to spend a year creating illustrations for a book I believe in.

Oh, and of course…

Grateful you are here,

Wade

P.S. - Is there someone you need to reach out to today? Don’t overthink it. Just send the message. Say it now.

​The Gratitude Express. January 27, 2025.​