Home Forum contributors Murr Brewster and Robert Klose were the top-of-mind answers to Monitor editors’ question: “Who should we bring to the table this holiday season to discuss joy?” Listen as the two writers talk about how, for them, joy requires that you be your authentic self. And that you keep moving, and looking.

In August, the United States left Afghanistan after 20 years. The Taliban poured in. Monitor writers Scott Peterson and Ann Scott Tyson spoke about how Ann managed to find light in this dark situation – in the brave work of PARSA’s Afghan National Scouts. She knew one the organization’s leaders, Marnie Gustavson, and got in touch. “It became apparent,” Ann says, “that this story was important to tell.”

Francine Kiefer and her editor, Ali Martin, discuss how the work of two inmates addressing mental health issues in the Los Angeles County Jail reflects brotherly love. “Craigen and Adrian not only work with these men, they live with them,” Francine says. “They are incarcerated right alongside them. They get to know them. And as peers, they earn their trust.”

Howard LaFranchi’s encounter with a subway quartet of classically trained musicians in Argentina – Venezuelan refugees who had joined together – opens into a look at genuine appreciation of their musical gift. This quality of gratitude is one that Howard has seen not only in Argentina, but also in other countries where refugees fleeing war or economic crisis seek to use their talents to tangibly say “thank you” to their hosts.

“The places where we learn about God’s love,” says writer Maisie Sparks, “should also be the places where we … learn to accept and respect and worship with each other. She speaks with the Monitor’s Trudy Palmer about a respect that crosses religious and cultural lines, and about the healing work of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco.

In a little more than two years, Ojok Okello has helped transform a small Ugandan village into a model of rural development, adding a preschool, a boxing club, a shea butter co-op, and an adult literacy program. It’s a vision of progress in the heart of Africa. Hosted by Dave Scott.

Kris Kepler leads LavaMaeX, a California organization that provides mobile showers for those who are unhoused, and creates Pop-Up Care Villages, providing everything from haircuts to job interviews. A story of hope, empathy, and innovation. Hosted by Dave Scott.

Professor Theresa Betancourt of Boston College has studied why some child soldiers in Sierra Leone heal after the trauma of war. But she took it a step further. She’s helping create programs that foster resilience, love, and hope. Hosted by Dave Scott.

Twelve-year-old Daisy Hampton’s mission is to forge friendships with peers who have disabilities and help close the digital access gap for kids who face income inequality. Hosted by Dave Scott.

Susan Murabana’s mission is to give all Kenyans equal access to the skies, and to inspire the next generation of scientists. She and her husband have reached about 200,000 school kids with their Travelling Telescope program. A tale of dream-building and love. Hosted by Dave Scott