expression
thankfully; fortunately; luckily
Expresses gratitude or relief that something good happened or a bad situation was avoided. Often used at the beginning of a sentence.
ありがたいことに、天気が回復した。
Thankfully, the weather cleared up.
ありがたいことに、大きな事故にはならなかった。
Fortunately, it didn't turn into a major accident.
Derived from the adjective ありがたい (grateful) + こと (thing) + に (adverbial particle), literally 'in a thing that is grateful', used as a set phrase meaning 'thankfully'.