A. L. W.

In several historical hymnals and collections published during the nineteenth century, the initials "A. L. W." were used to sign the contributions of Anna Letitia Waring (sometimes spelled Anna Laetitia Waring).

Born in Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales, in 1823, Waring was a gifted poet and hymnist who grew up in a supportive literary environment, being the daughter of Elijah Waring and the niece of the hymn writer Samuel Miller Waring. Demonstrating a deep love for sacred poetry from a young age, she even mastered biblical Hebrew to read the Old Testament scriptures in their original tongue. In 1850, she published her first collection under her initials, titled Hymns and Meditations, by A. L. W., which originally contained nineteen hymns. This collection was warmly received and underwent numerous subsequent editions, eventually expanding to include thirty-eight hymns by 1863, alongside her later Additional Hymns in 1858.

Waring's lyrics are widely praised for their intense personal devotion, simple style, and elegant focus on themes of peace and patient resignation to the divine will. Some of her most famous and widely circulated hymns signed with her initials include "Father, I know that all my life," "In heavenly love abiding," and "My heart is resting, O my God". Beyond her literary pursuits, she lived a quiet and deeply charitable life in Clifton, Bristol, dedicated to philanthropic works such as supporting the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society before her passing in 1910.