Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Arista Nashville
September 28, 2007 — When Alan and Denise Jackson take visitors on a tour of their home, Sweetbriar, they always show them the bur oak that towers above the Harpeth River at the back of the property.
"An arborist came out and told us that it was over 500 years old," Denise told USA Today recently. With its scars and deep roots, the oak is a central image in Denise's current best-selling book, It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life. The tree becomes a symbol for the seasons of her life, a metaphor for the struggles and renewal of the Jacksons' marriage.
"There could not have been a more perfect physical example of our lives together," Denise says. "Alan and I have been together 30 years and married almost 28. We have weathered a lot. At times, I thought that our marriage would not survive. But, like that tree, I guess, we are both rooted in the desire and commitment to stay together."
The Jacksons have a favorite family photograph taken at the foot of the tree that shows Denise and their three daughters sitting on the ground, while Alan is standing behind them, his arms outstretched, looking skyward.
"It lost a big limb last year," Alan says of the oak, "but it's got so many roots that it'll hang on for a while."