"Be kind and have a little humility," is the advice Newtown Senior Center member Cecelia Finnell recalled her mother sharing with her. "It's probably what I've lived by, and I'm 88 years old," she proudly added.

Ms Finnell was one of nearly 40 guests at the annual Mother's Day Tea, Friday, May 6, hosted by Senior Center Director Marilyn Place and Karen Aurelia, a former commissioner with the Commission on Aging.

The annual party is to honor all mothers, said Ms Place.

"Every year, it grows. I used to do tea parties with my mom and my grandmother, so I've done this my whole life. I just love it," she said.

Each of the tables set up in the main room of the Senior Center on Riverside Road was set with china tea cups and saucers, all from Ms Place's personal collection. On display, and available for guests to fill with hot water and take to tables, was a collection of glass tea pots, also collected by the director, her whole life.

A long table in an adjacent room elicited delighted exclamations, as Senior Center members filed in. Tiered platters of cakes and cookies, plates of tea sandwiches - the classic cucumber, chicken salad, ham and cheese, or pesto and tomato - and other finger foods created a tempting display.

A second table was a chocolate lover's paradise. Chocolate dipped strawberries and cherries; black and white frosted petit fours, and a layered chocolate cake were all gifts made by Ms Place, Ms Aurelia, and Senior Center Assistant Judy Thomas.

Rosemarie Gollenberg and Mary Adams sat side by side at one table, as the party got underway. Usually, they are at the Center just for knitting classes, said Ms Gollenberg, but when Ms Place suggested they come to the tea, "I thought, why not?"

The two women thought for a minute before sharing their mothers' advice.

"Oh, that was a long time ago," said Ms Adams. "But she used to tell me not to work too hard. We had a used furniture store, and there was a lot of work," she said.

"Keep busy, is what my mother said," piped up Ms Gollenberg, "and that's what I do."

Luella Dwyer - or the "peacock lady" as her friends refer to her, for her love of all things to do with the elegant bird - said the best advice her mother ever gave to her was, "Always be true to yourself."

"You can overcome any handicap. Handicapped is a state of mind," is the advice Anjana Khurana recalled from her childhood.

Nancy Nightingale paused as she looked over the dessert table to ponder her own mother's best advice, and then smiled.

Tried and true, her mother told her, said Ms Nightingale, "Always make sure you have clean underwear on when you go out."

The sandwiches and treats disappeared quickly, as the women chatted and laughed, and admired the fancy hats worn by some. With dishes whisked away, the afternoon's fun of bingo and prizes was set to start.

Ms Place looked out over the room filled with smiling women.

"Why do I do this?" she asked. "Because it makes everyone feel good, and it's a great form of socialization."