Rav Wolbe - the importance of expressing love and affection to one's spouse

 Rav Wolbe(Igros Kodesh #2) We know that when the angels came to visit Avraham, they asked “Where is Sarah your wife?” he replied that she was in the tent. Our Sages say that they asked this in order to make Sarah more precious to her husband. These words seem to make no sense because Avraham was at that time 99 years old and they had married when he was 47 years old and therefore they had been married already for 52 years. Furthermore we are talking about Avraham and Sarah, so what relevance to say this about the epitome of kindness that they wanted to make her more beloved to her husband? In addition our Sages say they also asked Sarah about Avraham in order to make him more precious to her! We thus see that even in old age or with high spiritual level, a couple needs to constantly renew their affection and love. The wife needs to hear regularly and repeatedly that he truly loves her and he needs to speak the truth and not make insincere compliments especially at the times of intimacy. 

I heard similar advice from Rav Freifeld

 He said he once saw a New Yorker cartoon of a man talking to a bar tender I said to my wife. “What do you mean I never tell you that I love you?”  I told you 30 years ago